High-end mobile phone trafficking ring smashed with one person arrested on Costa del Sol

The National Police in Spain have dismantled a high-end mobile phone trafficking network The operation, which began in March 2022, has resulted in a total of four arrests - three in Madrid and one in Fuengirola. A further 17 people are under investigation in Madrid, Alicante, Girona, Malaga, Seville, Almeria, Granada, Jaén and Cadiz.

The modus operandi consisted of buying and selling high-end mobile phones and other electronic devices at prices below their market value. They were obtained through various types of crime, such as fraud, theft or identity theft. They were subsequently sold on online second-hand platforms.

The ringleader, who operated from his own home in Madrid, reportedly made an illicit profit of more than 300,000 euros. He had a network of collaborators in different towns in Spain, who acquired and supplied him with the devices.

Following a search of the home of the main suspect, police seized 136 mobile phones, five tablets, five smart watches, four laptops and a desktop computer.

The police investigation began in March 2022, thanks to the cyberpatrolling and monitoring of web content carried out by the central cybercrime unit. They detected a profile with thousands of sales of high-end electronic devices at prices well below market prices. The profile was found on a well-known second-hand commerce platform. The investigation into the person behind the profile was launched on suspicion that the lower prices could be explained by the illicit origin of the devices.

Several investigations revealed that a large number of the mobile phones came from thefts committed by disloyal employees in different phone shops located in Fuengirola (Malaga) and Alcalá de Henares (Madrid). On the other hand, the police discovered that these employees were selling many phones by usurping the identity of their customers.

Thanks to the collaboration of the second-hand platform, the investigators uncovered several fraudulent purchases in which money obtained through scams was loaded onto virtual wallets and ultimately made available to the ringleader of the operation, who used it to buy devices through his profile.

Finally, the police located and arrested one of the main intermediaries of the network in the province of Malaga. Seven people have been charged in Fuengirola and Ronda, while another 12 people are under investigation in Madrid, Granada, Jaén, Almeria, Alicante, Girona, Sanlúcar de Barrameda (Cadiz) and Dos Hermanas (Seville).

The ringleader operated from his own home in Madrid, where he received and sent the devices through delivery companies.

Together with his wife, who is also under investigation, he reported the theft of several devices from his home, some of which were found by the police on a well-known trading platform where they were offered for sale.

The wife of the main suspect was in charge of his company's bank accounts and bookkeeping, providing him with cover and using her knowledge as a tax employee. Both were arrested at the end of June.

The investigators are currently waiting for information on the origin of the seized items, having requested the relevant information from the service providers.