The Spanish Supreme Court has ruled that the courts in the western Catalonia city of Lleida have jurisdiction over the courts in southeastern Andalusian city of Almería to continue investigating a network involve in a massive theft of Toyota RAV4s for export to African countries, principally The Gambia.
The investigations were initiated by the Mossos, the largest law enforcement agency and security force in Catalonia, in 2023.
Although the network operated with bases in the cities of Girona, Lleida, Almería, and Huesca, the criminal chamber of the high court ruled that the main core of the police and judicial investigation has been developed in the capital of Lleida.
The case began in August 2023, when the Mossos d’Esquadra detected an increase in Toyota RAV4 thefts in Lleida. From that spike, the agents identified about twenty cases in the city and began to reconstruct the network’s operation.
A footprint found in a recovered vehicle linked a French citizen to the network. This breakthrough placed a relevant part of the initial proceedings in Lleida and reinforced the role of the court that had taken charge of the investigation.
Furthermore, the Supreme Court recalled that in cases against criminal organizations with operations spread across several territories, the body that is in the best position to continue the investigation effectively must prevail. In this case, the chamber considered that this position corresponds to the court in Lleida.
The investigation has so far resulted in a dozen arrests and the recovery of dozens of cars. The network’s logistical structure was supported by bases located in Girona, Lleida, Almería, and Huesca, from where the vehicles were shipped in containers through the ports of Barcelona, Castellón, or Valencia.
The final destination of these shipments was Banjul, as part of an export route to The Gambia and other West African countries. In this scheme, investigators identified a Swedish citizen as the coordinator of shipments between Spain and that destination market.
The court of Lleida authorised telephone taps on that suspect. In one of the interventions, the agents seized 15 stolen vehicles that were ready for export. Their market value was around 300,000 euros.
The cars appeared inside four containers already prepared for their departure. The network used technology to open the vehicles by simulating the original key and also altered license plates and chassis to make police tracking difficult.
