- The six members of the criminal group are allegedly responsible for theft and receiving stolen goods.
- Civil Guard officers from the ROCA Team have recovered a ton of stolen artichokes, which have been donated to charity.
- So far, four criminal acts have been resolved.
Murcia, April 10, 2025. The Civil Guard of the Region of Murcia, as part of the ‘Plan against thefts in agricultural and livestock operations,’ has carried out the ‘Alcancil’ operation in the Campo de Cartagena area, dismantling a criminal group that had been stealing large quantities of artichokes from agricultural farms.
The six members of the criminal group are accused of theft and receiving stolen goods, and a ton of stolen artichokes has been seized from farms in the Campo de Cartagena.
Since the beginning of the year, coinciding with the start of the artichoke harvesting season in the Campo de Cartagena farms, specialists from the ROCA Team (against rural thefts) of the Civil Guard have been carrying out an extensive operation to prevent and, if necessary, solve any criminal offenses related to the theft of this agricultural product.
These operations included discreet surveillance at strategic points and in areas most susceptible to such crimes. They also involved checkpoints to inspect people and vehicles, all aimed at detecting any illegal activity and identifying the perpetrators.
In addition to the extensive operation in areas with the highest concentration of these crops, the ROCA Team also conducted various inspections to detect the illegal commercialization of stolen artichokes, leading to the recovery of a ton of the product, which has been donated to charity.
As a result of these actions, several individuals were caught in the act by the Civil Guard while stealing artichokes from various farms in the Campo de Cartagena, most of which occurred during the night, taking advantage of low visibility to avoid being detected.
The main targets of the now-detained individuals were farms without any security measures, including those lacking fencing. During the day, without drawing attention, they selected properties to later raid at night. They loaded the stolen product into passenger vehicles to avoid suspicion, using both the trunks and back seats to transport large quantities of artichokes in one go.
The ROCA Team continued the investigation and traced the stolen products. Their inquiries led them to a store in the urban area of Cartagena, which sold fruits and vegetables. The owners of the store were allegedly receiving the stolen artichokes, which were then sold to customers in the establishment.
A thorough analysis of the information gathered during the operation has so far resolved four criminal incidents, though the investigation remains open as further involvement of the dismantled criminal group in additional crimes has not been ruled out.
