Spanish police said Wednesday they had captured an Eastern European gang with military training who specialized in breaking into luxury homes in Marbella, on the Costa del Sol.
The gang, which was “skilled in burglaries”, carried out 71 break-ins and stole jewelery and luxury watches, 64 of them in the southern resort of Marbella and the rest in Malaga, Torremolinos and Estepona.
Police said in a statement that six people were arrested, including the ringleader. The ringleader was an Albanian, “a military expert in boarding and countersurveillance, who carried a gun and participated in all the robberies.”
The group’s members were ex-soldiers and used “intercommunication equipment commonly used by ex-military personnel” in Eastern Europe.
“Using their knowledge of military technology, they take strict personal safety and anti-surveillance measures when traveling on foot or in vehicles, changing directions and making unexpected stops,” the report said. ” he said.
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“They were also trained to access all types of premises and act quickly and efficiently, regardless of wall or perimeter height.”
The statement said the robbers had “thoroughly” staked out the homes before breaking into the homes, which are located near golf courses and in areas that are difficult for police to monitor but easy to escape from. It is said that there were many.
They assaulted and threatened the homeowner on four separate occasions.
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With the help of a Spanish businessman based in Málaga, investigators were able to use false documents to trace them through the vehicles they were using, mainly rental cars that they frequently changed.
They were charged with armed robbery, membership in a criminal organization, and money laundering.
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