14 airport workers arrested in Spain’s Canary Islands for robbing suitcases

By Alyssa McMurtry

OVIEDO, Spain (AA) - Police in Spain announced on Friday that they have arrested 14 airport workers for robbing suitcases at the Tenefire Sur airport in the Canary Islands.

Authorities announced that they recovered nearly €2 million ($1.8 million) in stolen goods.

A further 20 airport workers are still under investigation.

Police became interested in the case after they noticed a spike in travelers to the popular tourist destination complaining that their checked-in luggage had been robbed.

After monitoring the situation, police say that they discovered a highly organized system.

Those involved allegedly set up a system to shield their criminal activity before they would load airplanes with the luggage. They set up security curtains so that others would not be able to see them opening suitcases, removing valuable items and then closing them again.

After removing the items from the suitcases, mainly jewelry, watches, phones, other electronic devices and cash, they would hide the stolen goods in clothing with concealed pockets or put them in their personal lockers at work.

Police say the gang worked in a “hierarchical manner” with each person responsible for one part of the crime: choosing the flight, hiding the stolen goods, smuggling them out of the airport, selling the items, distributing the profits, etc.

Police say they recovered 29 high-end watches, 120 pieces of jewelry, 22 high-end cell phones, electronic goods and €13,000 in cash.

Police are also investigating 27 jewelry stores in Tenerife for possibly buying the stolen goods.

In 2022, the Tenerife Sur airport was the second-busiest in Spain’s Canary Islands, receiving 10.8 million passengers. At the moment, the airport connects with 113 different destinations.