Kidnappers Posed As Guardia Civil

A criminal gang who posed as Guardia Civil officers and held an entire family against their will have thankfully been brought to justice.

The Guardia Civil has arrested six members of a criminal organisation responsible for a series of home invasions that targeted businessmen across Valladolid province. The arrests followed a particularly harrowing incident involving the kidnapping of a businessman and his wife.

Operation Treatpa

The operation, dubbed Treatpa, commenced last year after a chilling incident in the town of Tordesillas (Valladolid). A businessman and his wife, on their way home, fell victim to assailants disguised as Guardia Civil officers. The criminals forcibly stopped the couple’s vehicle, where they then took over, transporting the couple 40 kilometres to their house. There, they detained the entire family, including a child, until they gained access to a safe containing money and valuable jewellery.

Violent Tactics

Investigators uncovered a pattern wherein the criminal gang meticulously identified potential victims, invariably targeting businessmen. Employing violent tactics, they falsely presented themselves as law enforcement investigators engaged in combating money laundering activities.

Authorities have linked them to as many as 12 home burglaries, along with a litany of other charges, including threats, vehicle theft, document forgery, illegal weapon possession, assaults on a law enforcement officer, drug trafficking, and participation in organized crime.

The initial breakthrough came with the identification of one of the culprits, already known for his involvement in criminal activities in Valladolid. Subsequently, Guardia Civil officers tracked down accomplices in Cantabria and Galicia, responsible for procuring the vehicle used in the Tordesillas kidnapping, and subsequently placed them under arrest.

Another member of the gang was apprehended in Tordesillas while possessing two firearms, drugs, cash, and other incriminating evidence. Further investigations led to the seizure of 13 large vehicles, a firearm, ammunition, bulletproof vests, a stolen vehicle, a drone, various surveillance equipment (beacons, concealed cameras, microphones), and frequency jammers.

Key Information

Ultimately, investigators located and detained a sixth individual who provided pivotal information instrumental in the Tordesillas businessman’s kidnapping and the subsequent ordeal faced by his family.

This successful operation by the Guardia Civil brings an end to a criminal syndicate’s reign of terror that had plagued the province of Valladolid for some time.