Fake police officers hijack truck carrying goods worth almost €1 million

Spanish broadcaster laSexta, citing National Police sources, reported that the robbery took place in the El Espartal industrial estate on the outskirts of Alicante. The driver was travelling from Almería, with clothing belonging to the Inditex group in the trailer.

The thieves did not wait for the truck to stop for a rest break. They intercepted it as it approached the industrial estate and created the impression that they were carrying out a roadside inspection.

Fake police lights and guns bring the truck to a halt

Regional broadcaster À Punt reported that the attack happened shortly before 03:30. As the driver approached the roundabout leading to El Espartal, two cars—one black and one red—manoeuvred in a way that forced him to stop abruptly.

The red car displayed a light resembling equipment used on unmarked vehicles operated by Spain’s National Police or Guardia Civil. Two men carrying handguns got out. They claimed to be police officers, entered the cab and ordered the driver out at gunpoint.

The attackers took the entire vehicle combination and drove towards Alicante. The driver lost sight of the truck as it headed towards the A-31 motorway.

The driver was left without his truck or phone

The victim could not call for help immediately because his mobile phone was still inside the stolen cab. Another truck driver leaving the industrial estate stopped to help and lent him a phone, which he used to call the emergency number 112.

According to À Punt, four men may have been involved, although two armed suspects directly threatened the driver. The trailer contained clothing belonging to the Inditex group, much of it from Zara. The shipment was estimated to be worth nearly €1 million.

Police follow the camera trail

The investigation is being handled by Alicante’s robbery unit, part of the specialist and violent crime division known as UDEV.

Investigators are examining footage from cameras across the industrial estate, including both public street cameras and systems operated by local businesses. They are also checking traffic-monitoring recordings from the A-31 and A-79.

Police are trying to establish how long the suspects had been following the truck, how they reached the scene and which route they used to escape with the stolen vehicle and cargo.

laSexta reported that no arrests had been made by 21 September 2026. Police have not ruled out any line of inquiry, and neither the truck nor the shipment had been recovered at that point.

Spain has seen similar truck hijackings involving fake officers

The Alicante robbery is not the first case in Spain in which criminals have used police disguises to steal an entire truck.

À Punt recalled an incident from December 2025. On the A-3 near Belinchón, criminals posing as Guardia Civil officers stopped a vehicle carrying luxury handbags.

The suspects held the driver for several hours while they transferred the goods into other vehicles. Four men suspected of taking part were arrested in late March 2026 in Torremocha del Jarama, in the Madrid region.

The similarity between the two cases goes beyond the use of fake officials. In both incidents, the target was high-value cargo, while the staged inspection gave the criminals control over both the driver and the vehicle.

In Germany, fake officers have stolen cash and demanded fines

Criminals have also used the fake-police tactic against truck drivers in Germany for years.

In March 2026, Trans.info reported on an incident on the A2 near Ingersleben. A 48-year-old driver had pulled onto the hard shoulder after a breakdown. Soon afterwards, a civilian car stopped beside the truck and a man got out wearing a jacket marked “Polizei”.

When the driver reached for his documents, the supposed officer took advantage of the distraction and stole cash from the cab before fleeing with an accomplice. German police described the amount as a low three-figure sum.

Another incident took place on Germany’s A7 in 2020. A white van pulled in front of a truck driven by a 48-year-old woman and displayed the message “Bitte folgen”, meaning “Please follow this vehicle”.

The driver followed the van to a parking area. There, two men in civilian clothes briefly showed what appeared to be police badges and claimed to check her driver card. They accused her of traffic offences and told her that paying €350 immediately would spare her a larger fine. When she asked for a receipt, the men fled.

In these cases, the offenders exploited drivers’ trust in people presenting themselves as law-enforcement officers. The Alicante attackers used a similar disguise, but instead of taking cash, they drove away with a truck carrying clothing worth almost €1 million.

How to tell a legitimate stop from a trap

The presence of an unmarked car with emergency lights does not automatically mean that a stop is fraudulent. Genuine law-enforcement agencies use such vehicles too. That is why the tactic used in Alicante can be particularly difficult to detect, especially at night and in an unfamiliar country.

If the circumstances seem suspicious and it is safe to do so, a driver can ask the people claiming to be officers to show their identification and contact the authorities using a number selected independently.

In Spain, the emergency number is 112. Guardia Civil can also be contacted directly on 062, which operates around the clock.

During an armed robbery, however, the driver’s safety must come first. It is not worth defending the truck or cargo at any cost, even when the shipment is extremely valuable. As police guidance on robberies makes clear, property can be recovered or replaced; a life or serious injury cannot.

If criminals threaten the driver with a weapon, the driver should not confront them or attempt to recover the vehicle alone. Help should be called as soon as it can be done safely.