11 arrested after €100,000 of copper cable stolen in Tenerife

The National Police have arrested 11 people in connection with the suspected theft of nearly €112,000 worth of copper cable in Tenerife. Officers made the arrests in Catalonia after an investigation that began with a complaint from a telecommunications company in Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

The company, which installs and maintains cables for the island’s communications network, reported seeing several people removing copper cable without authorisation. A stocktake found that more than 3.4 kilometres of cable was missing. The company put the weight of the missing material at 15.4 tonnes and its value at €111,772.

The investigation led officers to a business suspected of being linked to the case. Police seized 17.3 tonnes of copper near its premises and found invoices and receipts for cable purchases in the name of another company based in Barcelona. The total weight seized was higher than the amount reported missing by the Tenerife company.

Investigators identified 14 people suspected of involvement, most of them living in Catalonia. Officers there helped find and arrest 11 of them. Police gave no further details about the other three people identified.

Police are investigating suspected offences including theft involving forced entry, criminal damage, fraud, money laundering and involvement in a criminal organisation. The 11 people arrested appeared before a judge, who ordered them to remain in Spain while the case proceeds.