Alex Trelinski
A GANG of thieves targeted luxury fountain pens as they travelled to shopping centres around Spain.
The Madrid-based crew came from South America, with the Policia Nacional arresting three of them in the capital.
Warrants are out for two others, with one of them currently out of Spain.
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They committed thefts in Alicante, A Coruña, and Oviedo with some Montblanc-branded pens worth as much as €9,800.
Inquiries started two months ago when a robbery was staged in an Alicante shopping centre.
11 pens worth over €8,000 were taken, but when fleeing, they left behind a backpack with 40 pens valued at over €28,000.
A high-value heist in A Coruña yielded 39 pens with a total €39,000 tag, and they are also accused of stealing eight cameras worth €8,602 from an Oviedo shop.
The Policia Nacional said the robberies were coordinated via mobile phones with gang members deployed around shopping malls to perform distinct roles.
Some distracted shop staff while others forced open display cases.
Other crew members were in charge of diversionary tactics, before everybody split up once a robbery had been committed.
Authorities said that finding the homes of the gang members was difficult as they kept moving around and used false documents.
