Five arrested for stealing €40,000 of Sea Bass from fish farms near Los Cristianos
The Guardia Civil have arrested five people accused of stealing around 4,000 kilos of sea bass from aquaculture cages located off the coast near Los Cristianos beach in the south of Tenerife. The stolen fish, with an estimated market value of €40,000, were allegedly sold illegally to several restaurants on the island.
The investigation, carried out by agents from the Fiscal and Border Patrol together with the Nature Protection Service (Seprona), uncovered a network involving company employees and third parties.
The detainees, aged between 38 and 70 and residents of Granadilla de Abona and Arona, face charges of theft and receiving stolen goods.
Inside the Operation
Police began investigating after receiving reports of missing fish from local marine farms. Officers soon discovered that the thefts coincided with scheduled harvesting days, when employees from the aquaculture company were offloading catches at the port.
According to investigators, two workers colluded with three outsiders to remove part of the catch during unloading. The fish were then taken from the port by vehicle and sold without invoices or health certificates, posing a risk to public health since the products had not undergone sanitary inspection.
Under surveillance at the Los Cristianos port, agents observed the suspects returning to the vessel after normal operations, removing fish stored in backpacks and plastic bags, and loading them into a car. They then delivered part of the haul to one restaurant and the rest to the home of a relative of another restaurant owner involved.
Police intervened at that moment, confiscating 120 kilos of sea bass on site. The full extent of the thefts is believed to total around 4,000 kilos, valued at approximately €40,000.
Collaboration and Judicial Action
The operation was supported by the Port Police of Los Cristianos, under the Santa Cruz de Tenerife Port Authority.
The five suspects, along with the case files, have been brought before the judicial authorities.
Share:
