Following months of investigation, the National Police has dismantled a criminal network focused on the fraudulent processing of Technical Vehicle Inspections (ITV) in Crevillente and Santomera (Murcia). The practise saw vehicle owners travel from different parts of Spain to the town of Crevillente in a network that was closely related to companies involved in the purchase and sale of vehicles.
The operation, led by the National Police in Elche, with the collaboration of the Crevillente Local Police, revealed a criminal plot that involved citizens from Morocco, Senegal and Spain.
There are a total of 13 detainees, among whom are staff from the Santomera Technical Vehicle Inspection centre where the alleged fraud was committed.
At the centre of the operation was an individual of Moroccan nationality, resident in Crevillente, who played a key role as an intermediary between companies involved with the purchase and sale of second-hand and import vehicles, workshops in the area and the ITV centre in Santomera (Murcia).
His involvement ranged from supervising fraudulent inspections within the ITV station itself, to reviewing documents; He even had connections with owners of private vehicles, whom he charged to obtain a positive ITV inspection result.
During the course of the investigation, agents in Elche focused on the location of one of the inspected vehicles that had recently passed an ITV. They intercepted the driver of the vehicle which they said was in an obvious poor condition, accompanied the driver to another ITV in Elche where the vehicle was subject to a further technical inspection during which a total of 15 different serious faults were found, just one of which was enough to ensure a failed inspection.
The investigation revealed the close collaboration between the main detainee and several vehicle buying and selling companies in Crevillente, mostly run by people of Moroccan origin. These companies acquired vehicles that they sold with serious deficiencies.
The operation included inspections of more than 200 vehicles, resulting in the immobilization of many of them due to lack of documentation.
The criminal operation was consolidated over at least two years, during which time it is estimated that approximately 5,000 vehicles were fraudulently subjected to favourable inspections. The investigation concluded that some of these vehicles would have travelled from cities such as Granada, Almería, Valencia and Albacete.
Thirteen people have been arrested in total, seven employees of the ITV Station, including technical directors, engineers and specialised technicians, the rest of the detainees were in different towns including Molina de Segura, Crevillente and Elche.
Among those detained were several with criminal records, of which eight were Spanish citizens, four Moroccans and one Senegalese.
In addition to the arrests, 9,000 euros in cash, documentation linked to the crimes investigated and a license plate cutting machine were seized.
