Alex Trelinski
TWO men who robbed 35 homes in April and May have been jailed by an Alicante court.
The burglars aged 36 and 37 plundered items worth around €200,000 including jewellery, watches, perfumes, electronic devices and cash during their crime spree.
On two occasions they fled police checkpoints putting other motorists at risk.
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The Guardia Civil arrested the men in Alicante City with authorities revealing the duo had a criminal record for burglary.
Their nationalities have not been revealed.
Though based in Alicante, the men travelled up and down the Costa Blanca to carry out robberies in tourist areas including the Orihuela Costa, Rojales, Sant Joan d’Alacant and Javea.
They also went over the border to Los Alcazares in Murcia.
An operation to catch them started after a spike in home burglaries on the Orihuela Costa.
They always struck during the evening and in the early hours of the morning, when properties were empty.
Homes in residential areas were targeted and the thieves would get in by forcing doors or windows, or even climbing to a window that was left open on a top floor.
They rummaged through belongings going for high-value items as well as cash with each break-in seeing goods taken worth several thousand euros.
Several homes were robbed on the same day- sometimes in different towns- and they switched cars to try to throw police off their trail.
The Guardia Civil investigation gathered enough evidence to identify the two men and surveillance plus checkpoints were tightened up in areas that were being looted.
On two occasions, the Guardia and the Orihuela Costa Policia Local tried unsuccessfully to stop their car which sped off dangerously.
That resulted in two counts of reckless driving being added to their charge docket along with the 35 home robberies.
