They noticed him because of his watch. They watched him to find the moment when he left his tourist accommodation. And when he did, they took the opportunity to sneak into his room, quickly open the safe and take the item worth €400,000. This is the same operation that a gang of thieves carried out in a similar manner in exclusive establishments in Chiclana de la Frontera (Cádiz), Ibiza, Paris and Cannes. Until the Guardia Civil and the French National Police arrested them. It is a group consisting of three men – an Algerian, a Frenchman and a Spaniard – who are accused of a dozen robberies in luxury hotels in Spain and France. Through their illegal activity, they had amassed loot worth 4.5 million euros, which has already been returned to its rightful owners. Including the exclusive watch.
The first time Civil Guard officials heard about these economic thieves was in August 2022. At that time, several people reported that they had been robbed in the luxury apartments where they lived in the town of Chiclana, Cadiz. An operation called Blue Ebony began there, allowing researchers to use a very similar formula to figure out how the members of this group worked. And that he used false documents: one of those arrested had up to nine different identities, which made it easier for him to remain unnoticed in his movements. In several of them he collected different backgrounds. “These false names and nationalities, their great agility and sophisticated technique made them very elusive. “It wasn’t easy to find her,” say sources on the case.
The system they operated was always similar. One of them, an Algerian citizen, was staying in the selected luxury hotel. In the case of Chiclana, for example, it was a luxurious five-star complex with exclusive apartments where attention was paid to the high purchasing power of the tenants. Together with his companions, he observed the tourists and selected possible victims, usually looking at the clocks. The more expensive, the better. Once they had chosen one, they waited for him to leave his apartment. The criminal then used various techniques to sneak into the property and open the safe, an activity for which he had “special skills”. Meanwhile, another member of the group – usually one of Spanish nationality – acted as the victim’s shadow: following him to the restaurant, the pool, the beach or wherever his destination was. He used an earpiece or his cell phone to warn of his movements. The third thief also carried out surveillance duties.
Investigators collected samples from the burglarized apartments and spoke to those robbed. The tests brought them closer to a possible international touring group that performed in various locations and was based in Marbella. The now imprisoned man of French nationality lived there in an exclusive villa in a luxury development. He did it with his wife “to give the impression that they were on vacation like any other family,” according to sources close to the investigation. The Civil Guard managed to arrest him in this house, where they found cell phones and eight luxury watches stolen in four robberies in Chiclana and a fifth in Ibiza. One of them, the most valuable, was valued at 400,000 euros. All were returned to their owners.
Nine fake identities
The documentation intervened also enabled a major step in the operation. It made it possible to identify the leader of the gang, who is of Algerian nationality but with up to nine false identities from countries such as Belgium, Germany, France and Spain. On Spanish territory he had a criminal record for similar acts, sometimes under false names. The Guardia Civil immediately informed the French authorities that the gang could also operate in France and coordinated a joint operation with Europol.
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After learning their identities, French authorities finally arrested the gang’s two members last spring – a Spaniard residing in Malaga and another Algerian residing on French soil. They did it just as they had just committed another robbery at a luxury hotel near the Eiffel Tower in Paris. There they stole jewelry, silver items and branded bags, the total value of which exceeded 450,000 euros. They are also considered to be responsible for other robberies in Cannes and the Paris capital. In total, they are said to have committed twelve crimes in which they amassed loot worth more than 4.5 million euros. Both are in provisional detention and awaiting extradition to Spain, where they will face trial for the crimes they committed.
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