Group of 66 people arrested for stealing Duty Free worth €220,000 from Tenerife South Airport
The Guardia Civil has successfully dismantled and arrested a criminal gang that was carrying out large-scale thefts at Tenerife South Airport. The total value of the stolen goods is estimated at over €220,000.
As part of Operation Simba Free, officers from the Guardia Civil’s Fiscal and Borders Section at Tenerife South Airport launched an investigation in May after detecting suspicious activity by a group believed to be working in coordination to steal from airport shops, primarily in restricted areas.
Investigations revealed that these thefts were not limited to Tenerife South Airport. The same group had a network operating at other airports across the Canary Islands, as well as in Bilbao, Madrid, Málaga, and Alicante.
The group focused on stealing high-value perfumes and cosmetics, which they later distributed for sale throughout Spain and even exported to other countries. The gang demonstrated extensive knowledge of airport operations and security measures, taking advantage of heavy passenger flows to commit their crimes. Members typically purchased low-cost tickets to pass through security, then stole merchandise from duty-free shops and left the airport without boarding their flights.
The network was led by a young woman from the Canary Islands, who coordinated the teams, directing them to remove goods from shelves and hide them in large handbags to avoid detection. Surveillance revealed she often travelled to airports by hire car, despite never having held a driving licence.
Alarmingly, the group also exploited vulnerable individuals and even minors, who were paid to help carry out the thefts.
In one instance, a member of the network was arrested at Lanzarote Airport carrying a large quantity of perfumes and aftershaves in his luggage. It emerged that he had purchased his flight using the ID of a third party, who was actually in prison at the time.
In another case, when a gang member was caught in possession of €30,000 worth of stolen perfumes, he produced an invoice claiming he had bought them from a perfumery. Investigations later confirmed the invoice was fraudulent.
Operation Simba Free has now concluded with the arrest of 66 people, along with 18 others under investigation, and three minors also implicated. Authorities have declared the criminal group fully dismantled. The value of the stolen goods totals €223,272, with around €70,900 worth of merchandise recovered.
Those arrested, along with the case files, have been referred to the Court of First Instance and Instruction Number 5 in Granadilla de Abona. The Guardia Civil continues to warn both residents and visitors to remain vigilant and to report any suspicious activity in airports or other busy public spaces.
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