VALLADOLID- The Guardia Civil has successfully dismantled a notorious criminal organisation responsible for a spate of home invasions targeting entrepreneurs across several towns in the province of Valladolid.
Operation, ‘Tratadopa,’ came to fruition after a year-long investigation following the harrowing abduction of a local businessman and his wife in Tordesillas, Valladolid.
Family were held hostage
The incident, which occurred last year, when the criminals posing as Guardia Civil officers, pulled over the unsuspecting couple on their way home. What followed was a terrifying 40-kilometre ordeal. During this time, the criminals held the family hostage, including their young daughter, until they emptied a safe of its valuables.
Furthermore, the gang’s modus operandi was chillingly calculated. Employing a methodical surveillance system, they meticulously selected their victims, primarily focusing on entrepreneurs. Under the guise of a police operation against money laundering, the criminals employed violence and intimidation.
Gang linked to other cases
Those arrested, have been linked to a staggering 12 cases of home invasions, along with a litany of other charges. These include;
- threats
- car theft
- forgery
- illegal possession of firearms
- assault on a law enforcement officer
- drug trafficking
- involvement in an organised criminal group
The investigation began by identifying one of the perpetrators, a known criminal affiliated with a gang in Valladolid. Subsequently, other members involved in the abduction were located in Cantabria and Galicia, leading to their swift arrests. One of those arrested, already facing a warrant for his arrest and incarceration by a Valladolid court, was found in possession of firearms, drugs, and a substantial amount of cash during his capture in Tordesillas.
During subsequent raids, the Guardia Civil seized 13 high-end vehicles, firearms, ammunition, bulletproof vests, a stolen vehicle, a drone, surveillance equipment including cameras, microphones, and frequency jammers.
Crucially, police managed to trace the origins of the criminal plot back to a sixth suspect. Moreover, this individual provided the initial information necessary for the abduction of the Tordesillas businessman and his family.
