Alex Trelinski
A BANK robbery crew behind at least 13 heists has been brought down in a joint operation by the Guardia Civil and Policia Nacional.
Nine people have been arrested- six on the Costa Blanca- with searches carried out at 11 homes and seven garages including locations at Torrevieja, Los Montesinos, Benejuzar, Orihuela and Jacarilla.
Over €100,000 in cash was seized along with guns, frequency jammers, tools, and five high-end cars.
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The gang is accused of committing 13 bank robberies across Spain- four in the Valencia region- since November 2024 starting with two Navarra heists which netted them €124,000 alone.
They targeted banks in small towns with quick escape routes and used professional safe-busters and specialist getaway drivers.
Each robbery was meticulously planned with small surveillance cameras placed outside banks to beam back live pictures via 4G technology to monitor any police and security guard presence.
The big trick was to breakdown the bank’s front door which triggered an alarm, but during that time they would change the main lock.
The robbers then hid and watched security staff appear to do a check and once that was completed, they re-entered the premises.
They’d use a new key into the freshly-changed lock as well as disabling the alarm and wiping any CCTV recordings of their first incursion.
Safes were broken into by experts using specialist tools and they left the bank and locked the door.
They also sprayed the bank with cleaning products or even fire extinguishers to eliminate the chance of finding evidence linked to anyone.
All of the getaway cars were high-end models that were stolen and had false number plates.
They were hidden away in garages, warehouses or isolated farms.
If the crew thought a vehicle had been identified by police, they took them apart and sold them on the black market.
Prior to each robbery, the gang moved to a rural rental property which acted as a temporary base where the vehicles were stored.
After each crime, they returned to the address to divide up the spoils before returning to their local areas.
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