National Police and Guardia Civil take down car-smuggling network

THE Guardia Civil and National Police have dismantled an international organisation dedicated to smuggling vehicles from Spain to Morocco.

The operation, which was divided into three phases, has resulted in the arrest of 20 people, all of Spanish and Moroccan nationality; seven in the first phase, four in the second phase and nine in the third phase.

These individuals were responsible for the theft of more than 40 vehicles in the provinces of Madrid, Toledo and Guadalajara.

The head of the criminal network operating these thefts was residing in Morocco and working on request and to order, targeting specific cars. Usually these were of the compact and mid-range vehicle type.

The group also dismantled the vehicles for the sale and export of spare parts, and were involved in the trafficking of narcotics.

The investigation was originally initiated in October 2015 and has since discovered that many of the vehicles were transported to Morocco mainly through the port of Algeciras, and that the network included a team of personnel responsible for falsifying vehicle-related documentation, as well as mechanics and drivers.