A GANG that robbed parked cars at Valencia and Murcia region motorway service stations has been brought down by the Guardia Civil.
Four men aged between 35 and 45 years have been chargd with two counts of robbery with violence and intimidation, 16 robberies with force inside vehicles, forging documents and belonging to a criminal gang.
Two properties were searched in Torrevieja, with Guardia officers seizing stolen jewellery and money from different countries in addition to various items used during the robberies.
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Gloves, torches, knives, screwdrivers, a defensive spray, a spark plug and two golf clubs were removed while two high-end vehicles were impounded.
The Guardia Civil launched Operation Open at the start of the year after noting a significant increase in car robberies at AP-7 service areas in Alicante, Castellon, and Valencia provinces along with the Murcia region.
The gang acted in a coordinated way and chose targets along the AP-7 with robberies committed at night.
They used two rental vehicles, one for regular travel and the other allegedly used to drive to and from robbery sites, with both cars hired using bogus identities.
The Guardia Civil said the crew carried pre-robbery surveillance to check out any police presence and to choose possible cars to rob.
They then reported their findings to other gang members.
The investigation discovered that the men used fragments of spark plugs to quickly break car windows and to get inside to snatch any personal effects.
The gang also did not hesitate to assault any car owners who may have got in their way.
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