- Accused of stealing 17,300 liters of oil and €14,280 in cash
- Allegedly forged over 100 delivery notes using names of regular clients
July 30, 2025 – A 31-year-old man has been arrested by the Guardia Civil for allegedly defrauding more than €70,000 from a wholesale cooking oil distributor where he was employed. Over the course of several years, the suspect reportedly used his position within the company to divert large quantities of oil by falsifying delivery documents and illegally selling the products on the black market for personal profit.
The investigation began after the company, located in the Marina Alta region, reported financial discrepancies. The specialized ROCA team (focused on agricultural and rural theft) from the Calpe division launched Operation Menbares to identify the perpetrator behind the missing inventory.
Investigators discovered that the employee had been systematically falsifying delivery notes under the names of legitimate clients across several towns in Alicante province. These fraudulent orders created false debts for the clients—mostly restaurants—while the company never received payment for the supposed deliveries.
In total, the Guardia Civil identified 61 clients whose identities had been misused and seized 98 falsified delivery slips. The stolen oil, amounting to 17,300 liters valued at €56,800, was sold off-the-books in underground markets.
Additionally, the suspect is accused of embezzling €14,280 in cash from legitimate sales, keeping the funds for himself instead of turning them over to the company.
The full estimated loss to the company exceeds €70,000, not including the reputational damage caused by the misuse of client identities.
On July 3, the suspect was arrested in Dénia. He faces charges of embezzlement, document forgery, and identity theft involving legal entities, and has been terminated from his position at the company.
