Fruit thieves busted

THE National Police have arrested seven men, including one minor, in Velez Malaga accused of stealing 2,401 kilos of avocados.

The group, the members of which had previous police records for theft of citrus fruit in the Levante area and mangos and avocados in the Axarquia and Costa Tropical, were caught in three cars in the early hours of the morning. 

Based in Roquetas de Mar, Almeria, the members allegedly travelled to different destinations, always at night, and cut through fences or broke down gates to get into farms.

In an attempt to reduce agricultural thefts, the National Police force has upped the human and material resources used for surveillance and investigation of cases and includes regular helicopter patrols of rural areas in its routine.