Ten people suspected of stealing from Ukrainian refugees have been arrested in Spain, police said. Objects and money worth around one million euros were seized from them.
Those arrested, seven Ukrainians and three Russians, are suspected of robbing seven homes of Ukrainian refugees who arrived in Spain after the Russian invasion and settled in the provinces of Alicante and Murcia (east) on the Mediterranean coast.
During their operation, the police forces seized items worth 1.25 million euros, including a stamp collection estimated to be worth half a million euros, jewelery and computers.
The spied victims
The suspects “were targeting this type of person, who often have all their savings and valuables with them,” the Civil Guard said in a statement. They had geolocation systems installed in the victims’ vehicles to track their every move.
Spanish police announced in January that they had dismantled a network managing three tobacco factories where Ukrainians who had fled to Spain after the Russian invasion were being exploited and “crammed” into makeshift shelters. This country has taken in around 160,000 Ukrainian refugees since Russian forces invaded on February 24, 2022.