The Guardia Civil has dismantled an alleged criminal group accused of stealing 2.4 kilometres of copper cable from an electrical substation in Beneixama, Alicante province.
Seven men, aged between 21 and 48, were arrested during Operation Subcob. Investigators have linked them to seven break-ins at the facility and estimate that the thefts caused losses of almost €30,000.
The investigation began after a patrol from the Villena Guardia Civil station received reports that several people had entered the substation. Officers searched the surrounding area and identified five men with previous records for similar offences.
The company responsible for the facility later reported seven intrusions during the preceding weeks. A total of 17 reels of new copper cable, measuring approximately 2.4 kilometres, had been stolen.
The Guardia Civil’s ROCA rural crime team in Ibi took over the investigation. Evidence indicated that the suspects operated as an organised group and allegedly removed as many as nine cable reels in a single day.
Investigators also established that the stolen copper was being sold to a metal recycling centre in Alicante. The material was allegedly concealed among other scrap and was not recorded in the company’s official documentation.
Six men were initially arrested in Novelda and Villena. Five are suspected of directly carrying out the thefts, while the sixth was responsible for the recycling centre where the copper was allegedly sold.
A seventh suspect was detained during a later phase of the operation. He had been wanted by the courts for a year under an outstanding arrest and imprisonment order.
The first six suspects were released subject to precautionary measures after appearing before a Villena court. The seventh was sent to prison in accordance with the existing court order.
The Guardia Civil warned that copper cable theft can disrupt infrastructure essential to electricity supplies, in addition to causing significant financial damage. Members of the public are urged to report suspicious people or vehicles near electrical facilities by calling 062, visiting their nearest station or using the AlertCops application.
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