A criminal gang that used masks, balaclavas, and stolen SUVs as battering rams to break into gas stations, agricultural warehouses, and commercial premises has had its convictions upheld by the Supreme Court. One of the convicted individuals faces 15 years in prison, while another will serve 13 years.
The criminal group, based in the municipality of Alameda, north of the Comarca de Antequera, is responsible for a string of robberies with violence and force perpetrated in Málaga, Seville, Córdoba, and León between 2018 and 2019. The magistrates have confirmed that the use of disguises to avoid identification aggravates their criminal liability.
The assailants stole vehicles, mainly Nissan Patrol or Suzuki Vitara models, to use them as battering rams against the entrances of establishments. They operated at night, loading tools, agricultural machinery, cash registers, or tobacco vending machines, and abandoned the stolen vehicles near their base in Alameda or on nearby roads.
To coordinate, they used mobile phones and frequency jammers. Additionally, they employed tools such as crowbars, bolt cutters, angle grinders, and simulated robberies with a fake Civil Guard pistol. One of the members acted as a lookout for the arrival of the Police while the others carried out the robberies.
Among the proven facts is the assault on an agricultural machinery company in Villanueva de Algaidas, where they stole equipment valued at over 15,000 euros. Another robbery occurred at a pub in Antequera, where they disabled the alarms with spray paint and forced open arcade machines and safes.
They are also attributed an assault in Cuevas Bajas, where a victim was surprised with a fake pistol while going to buy a car, and robbed of 4,500 euros and mobile phones.
The convicted individuals argued they were identified solely by their clothing or security camera footage, but the Supreme Court supports the findings of the Málaga High Court and the TSJA, including wiretaps, geolocations, and police surveillance.
