Twelve thieves who terrorised tourists in Spain held in Italy

Spain’s National Police have led an international operation against the theft of high-end watches, which has culminated in the arrest of 12 people in Naples, in southern Italy. Those detained are part of criminal groups specialising in violently attacking tourists in some of Spain’s main tourist hotspots.

The operation, carried out in cooperation with the Italian authorities and coordinated by Europol, forms part of a wider investigation that has already led to the arrest of 31 people in different European countries, underlining the cross-border nature of this type of crime.

Highly organised, specialist gangs

According to the investigation, the detainees belong to Neapolitan criminal groups known as ‘paranzas’, dedicated to stealing luxury watches in public spaces. These gangs operated mainly in tourist destinations such as Marbella, Malaga, Barcelona, Ibiza and Palma de Mallorca.

The groups, usually made up of between three and five members, had a clearly defined structure. They planned their trips to Spain using false documents and organised their logistics with vehicles brought from Italy or hired once they arrived.

Once in Spanish territory, they selected their victims – usually tourists or people with high purchasing power – in places such as hotels, restaurants, beaches or upmarket shopping areas. After monitoring their movements for hours, they carried out swift, violent robberies, yanking the watches from their victims’ wrists before fleeing on motorbikes or scooters.

A growing criminal phenomenon in Europe

Authorities stress that the rising value of luxury watches on the international market has driven the spread of this type of crime in several European countries.

In response, Spain and Italy launched a joint operation to intervene directly in Naples, the home city of many of those involved, and to execute simultaneously the judicial warrants issued by Spanish courts.