THE Guardia Civil has brought down a gang that scammed over €196,000 of diesel out of firms across Spain.
The crew impersonated genuine companies to perpetrate the mass fraud.
15 people have been arrested in Alicante and Almeria provinces as well as the Murcia region, with Guardia officers recovering 18,000 litres of fuel.
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The detainees are being investigated for belonging to a criminal organisation, document forgery, usurpation of civil status, receiving stolen goods and identity theft.
Investigations took place between July and November 2025 about a sophisticated scam which used data obtained illegally from firms based in several areas including Almeria, Alicante, Albacete, Badajoz and Madrid.
Armed with information, the organisation pretended to be the bona fide companies to get online contracts for fuel cards with operators in the hydrocarbons sector, as well placing orders without paying for invoices.
The firms were out of pocket while the criminals profited by reselling the fuel purchased at below-market prices.
The Guardia Civil said the gang had a well-defined structure with specific roles for each member.
There were data collectors, in charge of obtaining documentation from legitimate companies while digital operators were responsible for formalising bogus contracts.
Businessmen involved in the plot bought the fuel at around €1 per litre and transporters, used vehicles with large capacity tanks, as well as containers of up to 1,000 litres to distribute the illegally-obtained diesel.
During the inspection of a warehouse in Olula del Rio(Almeria) belonging to an electrical equipment company, officers found some of the stolen fuel.
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