Gang caught stealing from suitcases in Tenerife South airport
A major Guardia Civil operation has exposed an organised crime network accused of stealing valuables from passenger suitcases at Tenerife South Airport and funnelling them into the black market. At least twenty people are now under investigation, many of them suspected airport staff responsible for handling baggage between aircraft and the reclaim carousel.
The investigation began after a series of complaints from travellers who reported items vanishing from their luggage. According to security sources, the gang targeted high-value goods including luxury watches, jewellery, smartphones and other electronics, items that could be easily resold for profit.
The crackdown began in the early hours of Tuesday, when agents from the Guardia Civil moved into the airport and carried out coordinated searches across several areas of the terminal. Later in the day, detectives raided a jewellery store in the heart of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, spending three hours combing through stock on Calle Juan Bethencourt Alfonso, also known as Calle San José. Investigators are now working to establish whether the shop received stolen items from the network.
The case is being overseen by the Court in Granadilla de Abona, which has imposed secrecy orders to prevent details leaking and to ensure the operation can reach every level of the gang’s structure.
This scandal is the latest in a string of serious baggage theft cases linked to Tenerife South Airport. In December 2023, Guardia Civil officers arrested 14 employees and placed 20 more under investigation for a similar crime. At that time, stolen goods were valued at nearly two million euros, with watches, jewellery and electronics again topping the list of missing items.
With 13.7 million passengers passing through Tenerife South last year alone, which is an increase of more than 11% on 2023, the revelations have sent shockwaves across the Canary Islands, raising urgent questions about airport security and passenger safety at one of Spain’s busiest tourist gateways.
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