Else Beekman
Four French nationals who used a motorhome to crisscross Spain and steal from wealthy areas have been arrested in Málaga, Costa del Sol, bringing a wide-ranging investigation to a close.
The motorhome gang, based in Nice, had no fixed address in Spain. Instead, they relied on their campervan as both getaway car and mobile hideout, staying on the move and out of reach. Their final stop: Benalmádena, where police caught up with them on Tuesday, 30 December.
It all started back in September, when a shopping centre in Elche (Alicante) reported €8,800 missing from a safe. That theft turned out to be just one piece of a larger puzzle. As police dug deeper, they linked the group to at least 25 similar incidents, all in upscale areas popular with tourists.
Hidden stashes and a trail of fake identities
When officers searched the motorhome, they found €24,000 in cash, a gold coin, foreign currency, electronics, and jewellery. All tucked away in cleverly hidden compartments.
But that wasn’t all. They also uncovered a stack of forged identity documents. One of the suspects, police say, had used 24 different aliases. A a trick that helped the group stay ahead of the law for months.
Hitting Spain’s high-end hotspots
This wasn’t a smash-and-grab operation. The gang were methodical. They scoped out wealthy neighbourhoods and tourist zones, planned their hits, and kept moving.
Their trail stretched across Spain: from Alicante to the Balearic Islands, through Madrid, and along the sun-drenched Costa del Sol. One of their biggest scores? A €60,000 theft from an armoured van in Ibiza.
Behind bars, but the case isn’t closed
All four suspects are now in custody. Their mobility, combined with false papers and no registered address, made tracking them a major challenge.
Police are still digging. Trying to determine whether others were involved, or if the group had operated in other countries before making their way to Spain. As for the loot, from bundles of cash to high-end gear and the motorhome itself — it’s now all in police hands as evidence.
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