A criminal gang of bent baggage handlers working at one of Spain’s busiest airports stole nearly €2 million worth of designer jewellery, watches, mobile phones, electronics and cash from the luggage of unsuspecting holidaymakers who had entrusted their belongings in the care of the airline.
Spain’s national police force, the Guardia Civil, has so far arrested 14 airport workers, and a further 20 workers are under active investigation for the role they played in the mass theft of personal belongings.
The police opened a probe after noticing a rise in the number of complaints from holidaymakers who alleged things had been stolen from their luggage after checking it in for their flight from Tenerife Sur-Reina Sofía Airport, the seventh busiest airport in Spain.
Prosecutors allege that the gang would load luggage into the hold of the aircraft as normal and then climb into the cargo hold, where they would build a wall of suitcases so that no one could see what they were doing inside the plane.
Once out of view of other airport workers, they would then puncture a hole in the zipper of various suitcases and ransack the bags, looking for any valuables.
The gang members would take jewellery, mobile phones, watches, laptop computers and cash before managing to zip the bags up so as the appear as if they hadn’t been tampered with.
To get the stolen items off the plane without anyone noticing, the gang members created pockets in the internal seams of their work clothes to smuggle the goods out of the airport undetected.
The Guardia Civil raided various airline ticket offices, as well as the homes of the gang members and discovered 29 luxury watches, 120 pieces of jewellery, 22 mobile phones, various electronic items and €13,000 in cash.
In total, prosecutors allege the stolen items are worth €1.9 million, although some of the goods have already been sold in pawn shops and jewellery stores across Tenerife.
The 14 gang members already arrested have been charged with belonging to a criminal group, robbery with force, criminal damage and money laundering.
It goes without saying that passengers should never pack high-value items in their checked-in luggage, including jewellery, cash and watches. Even the meanest of low-cost airlines allow passengers to take a small personal bag in the cabin, and high-value items, along with any medication and powerbanks, should always be stored in this bag.
In the first place, one should NEVER check in anything valuable like money or jewelry. Wear a money belt or keep the jewels in your purse, brassiere, etc.
And secondly dont talk about the shit your carrying!! I worked for 20+ years in the airline buzz and never lost a thing by following those rules… and i had some nice jewelry! Common sense! Don’t check ANYTHING you can’t afford to lose!!