January 21, 2026 – The Guardia Civil has arrested seven individuals in connection with the theft of copper wiring from public lighting in industrial parks in Montaverner and L’Ollería, as well as from a company in Ontinyent. The total damages caused by these thefts amount to approximately €231,000.
The investigation began after a report of copper cable stolen from streetlights in Montaverner’s industrial area. Further inquiries linked the same suspects to similar thefts in L’Ollería, Ontinyent, and Montaverner.
The ROCA team in Xàtiva coordinated the investigation, sharing information with other ROCA units across the Valencian Community. Working with the ROCA team from Ibi (Alicante), authorities were able to identify and locate the seven suspects.
It was determined that some of the suspects had also carried out similar thefts in the La Vall d’Albaida region in 2025. Their modus operandi involved lifting utility boxes in industrial parks, cutting the copper wiring, and then attaching the cable to a vehicle to pull it out completely before loading it into the car for resale.
The arrested individuals include six men aged between 21 and 52 and one woman aged 32, all Spanish nationals. They are accused of five counts of theft with force and one count of belonging to a criminal organization.
The investigation was carried out by the ROCA teams of Xàtiva and Ibi, and the case files have been submitted to the Court of First Instance and Instruction No. 3 of Ontinyent.
