Guardia Civil say luxury cars were being secretly tracked with hidden GPS devices before being stolen across Murcia and the Vega Baja
A suspected ringleader of a criminal gang targeting high-end cars has been arrested after a luxury vehicle owner discovered a hidden GPS tracker underneath his car.
The dramatic discovery was made in San Pedro del Pinatar, where the owner of the vehicle became suspicious after spotting several men loitering near his car in the car park of a busy shopping area where he worked.
According to the Guardia Civil, the man later saw the same vehicle and its occupants circling the car park again. Alarm bells rang, and he decided to check underneath his car.
What he found confirmed his worst fears: a GPS tracking device had been secretly attached to the vehicle.
The incident sparked Operation “Tracker 26”, a Guardia Civil investigation which has now led to the arrest of a man of Ukrainian origin in Pilar de la Horadada, Alicante.
Officers believe the suspect is one of the alleged leaders of a criminal group based in Pilar de la Horadada and specialising in the theft of luxury vehicles in the Region of Murcia and the Vega Baja area of Alicante.
Investigators say the gang’s method was chillingly calculated. Members allegedly targeted expensive vehicles in busy commercial areas, fixed GPS beacons underneath them, and then monitored their movements before attempting to steal them when they were later parked in quieter, more discreet locations.
After the victim reported the discovery, Judicial Police specialists from the Guardia Civil took over the investigation. Officers examined security camera footage from the shopping area in San Pedro del Pinatar, allowing them to identify the vehicle allegedly used by the suspects, its registration plate and the people inside.
The physical descriptions of the occupants matched those of the individuals seen acting suspiciously near the victim’s car.
The hidden GPS devices were also subjected to detailed forensic analysis. Investigators found that the trackers contained SIM cards from a foreign company, registered under false identity details. Fingerprints were also recovered from the devices and sent for analysis.
Police checks later identified the main suspect as a man with previous convictions for vehicle theft, forgery of public documents and assault. He was also already wanted under an arrest warrant issued by a court in Torrevieja.
The breakthrough came while the GPS investigation was still ongoing. The Guardia Civil received a report of a theft at a supermarket in a shopping centre in Pilar de la Horadada. The alleged perpetrator was identified as the same man being investigated in connection with the hidden tracking devices.
He was arrested on the outstanding judicial warrant and is now being investigated as the alleged perpetrator of theft, discovery and disclosure of secrets, and conspiracy to commit motor vehicle theft.
The supermarket theft took place in Pilar de la Horadada, while the alleged GPS tracking operation was linked to the high-end car parked in San Pedro del Pinatar.
Guardia Civil investigators believe the suspect formed part of a wider criminal network using sophisticated tracking methods to hunt down luxury vehicles before stealing them.
The investigation remains open as officers work to identify and locate the remaining members of the alleged gang. Further arrests have not been ruled out.
For luxury car owners across Murcia and the Vega Baja, the case is a stark warning: organised thieves are no longer simply watching vehicles — they may be tracking them.
