The National Police have been working in collaboration with the Italian Polizia di Stato,. | Photo: National Police
Humphrey CarterPalma19/10/2026 11:29
The National Police, in collaboration with the Italian Polizia di Stato, have arrested 34 people belonging to criminal networks specialising in the theft of high-end watches during the summer months in Ibiza and on the Costa del Sol, in an operation that has led to the solving of 28 thefts and the recovery of six watches.
According to the Directorate-General of the Police, the operation was planned when, last January, the force set up a specific coordination task force designed to monitor, centralise and respond to this type of crime. The operation concentrated its main efforts on two hubs for high-spending tourists: Ibiza and the Costa del Sol, with a particular focus on Marbella and Estepona (Málaga).
However, surveillance was extended to key logistical and transit hubs such as Barcelona – a city where several of the cells maintained their operational bases and hideouts – Madrid – a hub for liaison and the handling of stolen goods – Palma and coastal locations such as Denia (Alicante).
The criminal cells followed several established patterns with common features, based on seasonal travel to tourist areas, always for short periods of time, with an immediate return once the criminal acts had been committed. Depending on the gangs’ origins, some travelled to the island of Ibiza posing as tourists for very short periods of time.
They operated with a division of roles: pairs of lookouts or spotters (sometimes a man and a woman) dedicated to identifying victims on seafront promenades, marinas, entertainment venues and car parks. Others acted as the actual perpetrators, snatching the items by yanking them away, whilst there were motorcyclists to make the approach and ensure an immediate getaway; and hire cars for logistical support, transport and the ‘clean’ handover of the stolen goods.
The gangs, with their main logistical base in Barcelona and making seasonal trips to Ibiza and the Costa del Sol (Marbella), were characterised by their systematic use of physical violence. One of the most significant operations took place in Ibiza when several members of a cell were intercepted at the airport as they attempted to board a flight to their country of origin with a luxury watch valued at over 450,000 euros concealed amongst the belongings of one of the cell’s members.
In another operation, officers arrested a group outside an Ibiza nightclub after they had snatched a watch worth 50,000 euros, and located two criminals on the island who were wanted for the violent theft of a watch worth 155,000 euros previously committed in Madrid.
On the Costa del Sol, the main incident took place in late July in Marbella, where four criminals assaulted a tourist at the entrance to his own home to snatch his watch. Investigations led to their location and arrest in Estepona, where a search warrant was executed, enabling the recovery of the stolen watch and the clothing worn during the assault.
Towards the end of August, the gangs stepped up their activity, taking advantage of the final days of the high season. In the last fortnight of the month, preventive checks and surveillance at ports and airports led to the arrest of a further 20 people before they could leave the islands. The overall outcome of the operation was the recovery of six high-end watches, with individual valuations ranging from 20,000 to over 450,000 euros.
In addition to the jewellery, a car and four motorbikes were seized, along with 14 fraudulent number plates – two Italian and 12 Spanish, either stamped or bent with stickers – four false identity documents and driving licences, a frequency jammer and various mobile phone devices.