Police have arrested 14 people after a staggering £1.7million worth of valuables went missing from tourists’ suitcases at an airport in a popular holiday destination.
Detectives arrested 14 workers at Tenerife South Airport and say 20 more airport employees have been placed under investigation following the string of thefts.
The operation to snare them was launched after an increase in the number of complaints from passengers who said items had gone missing from their luggage.
Nearly 30 designer watches have been recovered along with jewellery, phones, electronic devices as well as £11,000 (13,000 euros in cash.
Spanish police released footage showing them frisking suspects they had held before opening up their lockers to discover stolen items.
A spokesman for the Civil Guard, which led Operation Orotel as it was codenamed, said: “The value of the recovered items stands at nearly £1.7million (€2million).
“Fourteen people have been arrested at Tenerife South Airport and 20 other people placed under investigation on suspicion of robbery, membership of a criminal gang and money laundering. The operation began after an increase in the number of complaints from passengers who said valuables and cash had been stolen from suitcases they had checked in. The victims are of different nationalities.
“The suspects allegedly took advantage of their jobs at the airport to load and unload cases at a slower rhythm and putting greater distance between each case.
“They would also open the luggage once it was inside the hold, out of view of passengers and other people.”
The spokesman added: “Once they had taken the objects that interested, them, they would close the zip to make sure there was no sign they had manipulated the contents.”
He said the suspects would also use screens to hide the fact they were opening up passengers’ luggage.
Police described the detainees today as members of a “well-structured criminal gang, with clearly defined functions” which included selecting the flights they would target, hiding the stolen objects, getting them out out the airport and selling them in places like jewellery shops and online.
The Civil Guard said in a staement: “To hide the stolen objects they used clothes with interior seams or their own lockers.
“Several police searches were carried out, both in lockers belonging to airport workers and their cars and homes.
“In total 29 expensive designer watches were recovered along with 120 pieces of jewellery, 22 mobile phones, electronic equipment, 13,000 euros in cash and a high-end vehicle.
“The value of the objects recovered comes to €1,953.571m (£1.675,840m).
“The suspects managed to sell many objects online and in shops and 27 jewellers are being investigated in Santa Cruz in Tenerife.”
From January to August this year there were 1.6 million visitors from the UK to Tenerife. Most British holidaymakers enter the island via Tenerife South Airport.
Police sources say they believe millions of pounds worth of valuables could have been stolen, given the value of the material they have recovered.
