An international criminal gang accused of stealing perfume and tobacco from duty-free shops at airports across Europe, including Tenerife South Airport, has been dismantled following a major police operation.

The operation, led by the Guardia Civil and Spain's Customs Surveillance Service, resulted in the arrest of 11 people suspected of involvement in 24 offences, including organised crime, repeated theft, smuggling, document forgery and money laundering.

International gang based in Spain, the UK, and Romania

Investigators say the group, known internationally as the Preda Clan, had bases in A Coruña, the United Kingdom and Romania, and had been operating since at least 2019.

According to the investigation, gang members targeted duty-free shops at airports in Tenerife South, Palma de Mallorca, Alicante, Barcelona, Valencia, Santiago de Compostela, Antwerp, Lisbon and Porto, stealing mainly tobacco products and high-value perfumes.

The investigation began in early 2025 and involved officers from the Guardia Civil's Fiscal and Border Units at Tenerife South and Santiago-Rosalía de Castro airports, working alongside Customs Surveillance officers in A Coruña. The operation was coordinated with Europol, the Portuguese Judicial Police, Romanian Police and UK customs authorities.

Carefully Planned Thefts

Police say the gang operated in a highly organised manner, with members assigned specific roles including surveillance, distracting shop staff, carrying out the thefts and removing the stolen goods from the airport.

The group allegedly used sophisticated concealment methods to avoid detection before transporting stolen tobacco by air to the UK, where it was sold through illegal distribution networks at a significantly higher value.

During the investigation, officers uncovered clandestine warehouses in the UK where stolen goods from airports across Europe were being stored before resale.

€4.8 Million Laundering Scheme

Investigators also uncovered an alleged money laundering operation involving a network of shell companies trading in second-hand vehicles.

According to the Guardia Civil, the businesses had no genuine commercial activity and were used to funnel criminal profits into the legal economy through multiple small cash deposits, a technique known as "smurfing".

Police estimate the organisation laundered more than €4.8 million using this system.

Raids and Seizures

Searches were carried out at a property in Teo, A Coruña, and two industrial units in nearby Padrón, leading to the arrest of the group's alleged ringleaders.

Officers seized mobile phones, cash in several currencies, a gold bar, gold jewellery, large quantities of tobacco and documents linked to the investigation.

Authorities also froze 13 bank accounts in Spain, along with 12 accounts in Lithuania and 24 in Romania through a European Investigation Order.

In addition, investigators identified eight shell companies allegedly created to disguise the flow of illicit funds and avoid tax scrutiny.

The operation resulted in the seizure of 2,221 cartons of cigarettes, more than 109 kilograms of loose tobacco, 42 vehicles, with a further 51 vehicles placed under preventive seizure orders, as well as cash and precious metals.

The investigation remains ongoing.