The National Police have dismantled a ‘travelling’ gang of pickpockets and thieves operating out of Tenerife. The investigation, led and coordinated by the Tenerife Prosecutor’s Office, resulted in the arrest of 13 people, nine of whom have been placed in provisional custody.
They conducted extensive surveillance and monitoring of the group, uncovering a well-structured organisation with clearly defined roles. Some members were responsible for thefts, while others acted as lookouts or drivers to facilitate swift getaways and evade law enforcement.
Further investigative work led to the identification of the gang’s two ringleaders, both of whom had extensive criminal records linked to burglaries of properties. The group operated across the island in small groups of three or four, with specific roles assigned to each member: one carried out the theft, another selected the targets, and a third maintained surveillance to avoid detection by the police.
The gang primarily targeted elderly foreign holidaymakers, taking advantage of their short stays on the island to minimise the likelihood of a formal complaint being filed with the police.
Evidence of this was found during the arrests, where authorities seized banknotes from various countries, including the United Kingdom, Denmark, and Sweden, according to a statement from the National Police.
The criminals followed a seasonal pattern, operating in Tenerife during the winter months before moving to mainland Spain in warmer seasons. Investigators linked them to multiple offences in Málaga and Mallorca, further establishing their history of itinerant crime.
During the investigation, police uncovered evidence of significant sums of money being transferred abroad through financial services companies, with the total amount exceeding €250,000.
Once sufficient evidence had been gathered, law enforcement officers raided a property housing several gang members, arresting seven people. The remaining six members were apprehended in the municipality of Güímar, bringing the total number of arrests to 13.
Following their appearance before the courts, nine of the detainees were remanded in custody, marking the first instance in the Canary Islands where preventative imprisonment has been enforced against an organised theft ring.
Authorities have declared the central structure of the organisation dismantled, though further arrests have not been ruled out as the investigation continues.
