A SEVEN-STRONG gang stole over 1,100 chairs from bar and restaurant terraces in Spain to sell on the black market.
The crew were arrested in early October by the Policia Nacional.
The chairs were sold off domestically as well as to Morocco and Romania.
The unusual robberies were staged in 18 premises in Madrid and Talavera de la Reina(Toledo) during August and September.
The total value of the furniture was €60,000.
The thieves struck in the early morning when the chairs were left piled up in the street.
The Policia Nacional started investigating in August after several complaints from restaurant owners who claimed to have fewer chairs than they had left stacked the night before.
In the early hours of August 13 the gang stole chairs from five premises in the Madrid district of Latina.
They cut the protective the chains and then loaded the chairs into a van .
Police in Latina and Talavera realised that the same group was operating in both areas.
Inquiries ended at the start of the month with the identification and arrest of seven members of the gang – six men and a woman.
They have been charged with theft and belonging to a criminal organisation.
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