La Policía Nacional has dismantled a crime gang that used the same modus operandi to steal cash from casinos in southern Spain.
According to the Costa Blanca Daily, the country’s National Police started an investigation into the gang in 2025 after being tipped off to its crimes.
The sophisticated heists are alleged to have started in multiple gaming halls in the region of Murcia and its municipal town Molina de Segura, where the group stole over €20,000 ($23,600) and caused significant damage to cash drawers of slot machines.
The National Police traced the gang through Murcia and into the province of Alicante, where one of the robberies took place at Murcia and the province of Alicante, with one of the thefts taking place at an enterprise in a provincial suburb of Orihuela. While police have arrested four members of the gang, no details have yet emerged where or when they were taken into custody.
The four have been charged with “robbery with force and belonging to a criminal group.” The suspects have reportedly been placed at the court’s disposal, while the investigation proceeds to “clarify other similar crimes committed and to arrest all those involved.”
illegally load the cash drawers of slot machines to increase the cash held inside
The gang’s modus operandi was to illegally load the cash drawers of slot machines to increase the cash held inside the stacker or bill cassette, before breaking open the boxes and stealing the cash.
The gang reportedly had a chain of command for recruiting members, safecracking experts, and even getaway drivers, while they also worked on gaining the trust of casino workers and the “person in charge of ‘fattening’ the machines,” in exchange for €5,000 ($5,900).
