Police conclude €3 million luggage robberies at Tenerife South airport
The Guardia Civil has concluded the investigation into a major theft ring at Tenerife South Airport, arresting and investigating 95 people accused of stealing luggage and valuables worth more than €3 million.
The operation, called BORO-TF, marks the final stage of a large-scale investigation that began in 2022 under the name Operation ORETEL.
Officers looked into more than 1,100 international flights and uncovered 330 cases of stolen baggage. Over 200 passengers, most of them tourists from outside Spain, filed complaints after discovering their belongings were missing.
In the early stages of the investigation, police inspected 27 jewellery shops that buy second-hand gold, as well as several online sales platforms. They confirmed 840 sales linked to stolen goods worth around €1.9 million. Searches of airport workers’ homes and lockers led to the recovery of jewellery, watches, phones, games consoles, cash, and even a luxury car.
In later phases, officers examined suspects’ mobile phones and analysed 1.7 terabytes of data, which revealed how the network operated. The group sold stolen items to colleagues, family members, and friends, and even took custom “orders” for specific valuables.
The Guardia Civil concludes the largest baggage theft operation at Tenerife South Airport. Source: Guardia Civil.
Some members also sold personal documents from victims to make the crimes harder to trace. In one intercepted call, thieves discussed a suitcase containing €100,000 in €500 notes.
In the final phase, 56 people were detained or investigated, including staff from airlines and baggage handling companies at both Tenerife South and Tenerife North airports, along with their relatives and intermediaries.
The investigation was led by the Fiscal and Border Investigation Unit (UDAIFF) at Tenerife South Airport, supported by the USECIC and Judicial Police. The Guardia Civil described the case as the biggest of its kind ever uncovered in the international air transport sector.
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