High-end shoplifting gang arrested in San Javier raid with £3,000 and €7,000 in cash

Seven Chilean nationals were arrested after the Guardia Civil seized cash, phones, clothing and jewellery

Seven people were arrested in San Javier on Thursday January 15 after the Guardia Civil broke up a criminal group specialising in high-end shop thefts across the Region of Murcia. Four men and three women, all Chilean nationals living in Spain illegally, are suspected of belonging to an organised gang that carried out thefts in Cartagena and other towns.

The gang was targeted in a Guardia Civil operation called ‘Notte’. The gang travelled to Spain, usually via Italy, to steal technology, clothing and jewellery, which they then sold on the black market. Police had traced their activity to a rented house in San Javier, which they used as a base, and carried out a raid there.

Officers seized €7,000 and £3,000 in cash, ten mobile phones, and recovered clothing and jewellery, some still fitted with shop security tags.

The investigation began after a theft of over €7,000 worth of tech products at a popular shopping centre in Cartagena. Guardia Civil officers reviewing CCTV footage saw how the gang worked.

Some members of the gang acted as decoys to distract staff, while others took the items out of the store.

Further checks revealed that the suspects had a long record of similar offences across Murcia and other parts of Spain. Police described the gang as highly organised, moving systematically and planning their crimes carefully.

Investigations are ongoing to determine whether the group is linked to further offences.

Images: Guardia Civil