Caught with the hand… in the suitcase: 14 employees at an airport on the Spanish island of Tenerife have been arrested on suspicion of stealing loot worth almost two million euros (more than $2.9 million) from passengers' luggage According to civil society, the guard announced on Friday.
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The loot included 29 luxury watches, 22 state-of-the-art smartphones and 120 pieces of jewelry stolen from travelers of various nationalities at the airport in the south of the Canary Islands, she said in a press release.
AFP
The Guardia Civil suspects the 14 arrested employees of having already resold other stolen goods to shops. Twenty other airport employees and 27 jewelry stores on the island are also in the investigators' sights.
The operation began after a series of complaints from travelers.
The thefts occurred while the luggage was being stowed in the holds of the planes. Investigators say the suspects forced the suitcases to steal valuables while out of sight of passengers and other employees.
They then hid the stolen items in pockets sewn into their clothes or in their lockers at the airport, the Guardia Civil said.
According to airport manager Aena, Tenerife South Airport welcomed 10.8 million passengers in 2022, making it the seventh airport in Spain. Tenerife, the largest and most populous island in the Canary Islands, is popular with tourists from Northern Europe.