Members of a suspected criminal gang arrested

NATIONAL POLICE officers have arrested 54 people in Malaga and six other autonomous communities in connection with a credit card fraud scheme.

Five laboratories where the cards were cloned and manipulated have been dismantled and 19 properties searched, according to a Police statement.

Suspects have been arrested in Malaga, Palma de Mallorca, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, La Coruña, Alicante, Madrid and Barcelona.

The investigation began when authorities were alerted to the presence in Madrid of members of an international criminal gang specialized in the fraudulent use of credit cars from countries such as the United States, Dominican Republic, Colombia and Venezuela.

Detainees allegedly recruited people in different provinces to obtain credit card terminals from banks with which they withdrew large amounts of money in a short period of time until the service was canceled. The network also simulated purchases and sales on behalf of shell companies without commercial activity to obtain the money, which was then transferred to bank accounts located mainly in South America.

During the home searches, police confiscated 300 credit cards, 40 credit card terminals, €3,000 in cash and a false gun.