06-09-2024, 07:58 AM
A person was arrested for stealing more than 12,000 meters of cable in Fuerteventura.
The restitution of the stolen material entailed an economic loss of more than 60,000 euros.
The Civil Guard of Fuerteventura, within the framework of the operation carried out by the Judicial Police Team of Puerto del Rosario, proceeded to the arrest on August 22, 2024, of a 50-year-old man with a Police record, as the alleged perpetrator of a continuous crime of copper theft, by stealing more than 12,000 meters of cable from the power lines of the streets, directly affecting 542 lighting stations in the town of Caleta de Fuste.
The Civil Guard became aware of the facts, on July 29, 2024, through a complaint filed by public works companies, contracted for the execution of remodeling works in the town of Caleta de Fuste, stating the theft between January and July 2024, of grounding cable from several sectors of the work, in which the streetlights of up to 24 streets were affected.
This caused an economic loss to the affected companies of more than 60,000 euros, but the most serious thing was the manifest risk posed to the public, the fact that the installation was unprotected without the physical connection of the stolen earthing cable, especially taking into account that Caleta de Fuste is one of the main tourist engines of Fuerteventura.
Investigation and Police action
Once the facts denounced were verified, the Civil Guard carried out the corresponding investigative activity aimed at identifying the person responsible for the criminal acts.
To do this, firstly, the investigators carefully studied the affected roads and the modus operandi used in the perpetration of the theft; a seriously difficult task, considering the considerable extension in which the extraction of copper cable took place, covering a total of 24 streets distributed in various sectors, from where more than 12,000 meters of cable were extracted, directly affecting the installation of 542 street lights.
In addition, the Civil Guard analysed the sales of copper made in waste management and scrap metal recycling companies in the province of Las Palmas, managing to detect that, between January and July 2024, the now investigated had sold a huge amount of copper in one of these companies based on the island of Fuerteventura, of identical description as the stolen one that would have provided him with an important economic benefit.
In light of this, the investigators focused the investigations on this person, whom they were able to learn during the course of the investigation he had solid knowledge in the field of electricity. This circumstance, coupled with the fact that only a month earlier, he had been arrested for acts of the same nature in the same locality, in which he used the same modus operandi, made it possible to tighten the siege on the now investigated.
The active collaboration of the Local Police of Antigua with the Civil Guard was decisive; since agents of the Municipal Police Corps, managed to surprise the alleged perpetrator in possession of various material of illicit origin, which in the end was directly related to the theft investigated, obtaining sufficient evidence to attribute the commission of the facts.
For this reason, on August 22, a Police device was established in the town of Caleta de Fuste, managing to culminate the investigation, with the arrest of the alleged perpetrator of the facts, who once the corresponding proceedings were completed, was placed at the disposal of the Court in Charge of Guard in Puerto del Rosario.
The restitution of the stolen material entailed an economic loss of more than 60,000 euros.
The Civil Guard of Fuerteventura, within the framework of the operation carried out by the Judicial Police Team of Puerto del Rosario, proceeded to the arrest on August 22, 2024, of a 50-year-old man with a Police record, as the alleged perpetrator of a continuous crime of copper theft, by stealing more than 12,000 meters of cable from the power lines of the streets, directly affecting 542 lighting stations in the town of Caleta de Fuste.
The Civil Guard became aware of the facts, on July 29, 2024, through a complaint filed by public works companies, contracted for the execution of remodeling works in the town of Caleta de Fuste, stating the theft between January and July 2024, of grounding cable from several sectors of the work, in which the streetlights of up to 24 streets were affected.
This caused an economic loss to the affected companies of more than 60,000 euros, but the most serious thing was the manifest risk posed to the public, the fact that the installation was unprotected without the physical connection of the stolen earthing cable, especially taking into account that Caleta de Fuste is one of the main tourist engines of Fuerteventura.
Investigation and Police action
Once the facts denounced were verified, the Civil Guard carried out the corresponding investigative activity aimed at identifying the person responsible for the criminal acts.
To do this, firstly, the investigators carefully studied the affected roads and the modus operandi used in the perpetration of the theft; a seriously difficult task, considering the considerable extension in which the extraction of copper cable took place, covering a total of 24 streets distributed in various sectors, from where more than 12,000 meters of cable were extracted, directly affecting the installation of 542 street lights.
In addition, the Civil Guard analysed the sales of copper made in waste management and scrap metal recycling companies in the province of Las Palmas, managing to detect that, between January and July 2024, the now investigated had sold a huge amount of copper in one of these companies based on the island of Fuerteventura, of identical description as the stolen one that would have provided him with an important economic benefit.
In light of this, the investigators focused the investigations on this person, whom they were able to learn during the course of the investigation he had solid knowledge in the field of electricity. This circumstance, coupled with the fact that only a month earlier, he had been arrested for acts of the same nature in the same locality, in which he used the same modus operandi, made it possible to tighten the siege on the now investigated.
The active collaboration of the Local Police of Antigua with the Civil Guard was decisive; since agents of the Municipal Police Corps, managed to surprise the alleged perpetrator in possession of various material of illicit origin, which in the end was directly related to the theft investigated, obtaining sufficient evidence to attribute the commission of the facts.
For this reason, on August 22, a Police device was established in the town of Caleta de Fuste, managing to culminate the investigation, with the arrest of the alleged perpetrator of the facts, who once the corresponding proceedings were completed, was placed at the disposal of the Court in Charge of Guard in Puerto del Rosario.
To me drinking responsibly means do not spill it.