Guardia Civil has arrested 16 employees of different companies at Madrid airport. These employees are accused of stealing items from travellers’ luggage. The luggage theft would have a total value of more than €120,000.
The stolen goods include bags, jewellery, clothing, and electronic devices.
Operation Union
The arrests are the result of Operation Unión. It is a partnership between the Guardia Civil, the airport manager Aena, and various airlines. In addition to the arrests, another 22 employees were investigated for their possible involvement in minor thefts.
Luxury goods and personal belongings
Police have recovered a wide range of stolen items. This includes luxury handbags, designer clothing, tablets, smartphones, wireless earphones, cameras, a violin, a Bible, and cash. The diversity of the victims is remarkable: from an American non-commissioned officer and a company director to a young musician and a university student from New York. Consequently, many victims have recovered their valuable and sometimes very personal belongings.
Material and emotional Value
The Guardia Civil emphasises that these thefts cause not only financial damage but also emotional damage. For many travellers, the loss of these items has a significant emotional impact. This is in addition to the inconvenience of having to file a tax return while travelling for business or pleasure.
Food donations
Interestingly, among the items recovered were also large quantities of food items such as ham, cheese, preserves, and other foodstuffs. Because the rightful owners of these foods could not be traced, they were donated to food banks. That puts a little positive spin on an otherwise deplorable situation.
Luggage theft at Tenerife airport
In December, a similar luggage theft came to light at Tenerife South Airport. Fourteen employees here are said to have been part of a criminal organisation that stole items from the luggage of tourists. This would involve items with a total value of almost €2 million.
