Key points:
- The Guardia Civil has identified five members of an itinerant gang that robbed trucks at service areas.
- Three suspects were arrested in the Community of Madrid.
- The group stole tractor units and semi-trailers to carry stolen goods and used stolen number plates.
- The investigation started in June 2026 after a stolen truck was recovered near Burgos.
- The suspects face 12 alleged offences, including vehicle theft, robbery and membership of a criminal group.
How the gang operated
According to the Guardia Civil, as reported by La Noción, the group targeted trucks parked at service areas during drivers’ rest breaks. Its members travelled long distances along the main roads of the Iberian Peninsula to find targets.
The gang:
- stole tractor units and semi-trailers to transport the stolen goods,
- used stolen number plates to make the vehicles harder to identify,
- chose the cargo in advance,
- divided roles between its members.
The group was based outside the Castilla y León region and moved from place to place, which made it harder to track.
A failed theft gave it away
The investigation, codenamed NATARIO2-CID, began in June 2026. Officers from the judicial police unit in Burgos recovered a stolen articulated truck just hours after it was taken.
The stolen vehicle had allegedly been used in an attempt to take a similar truck parked at a service area on the A-1 motorway, south of Burgos. The vehicles involved were later found abandoned.
Investigators then identified five suspects. Three were arrested in the Community of Madrid, and all five have been placed at the disposal of the courts in Aranda de Duero.
12 offences
The Guardia Civil attributes 12 alleged offences to the group:
- three vehicle thefts,
- two cases of unauthorised use of a vehicle,
- one theft of number plates,
- one robbery with force from a semi-trailer and one attempted robbery,
- two road safety offences,
- one case of document forgery,
- membership of a criminal group.
The value of the stolen goods and the number of affected transport companies have not been disclosed. All suspects are presumed innocent.
What it means for drivers
The case shows that thieves do not only cut tarpaulins to steal part of a load. Some groups take entire trucks or trailers, and use stolen vehicles to commit further crimes.
For drivers and transport companies, the most effective protection remains parking in secure, monitored areas, especially with high-value cargo. However, such parking places are still scarce in many European countries, although new secure truck stops are opening. Recent TAPA figures show the scale of cargo theft across the industry.
Operators should also make sure that drivers report suspicious behaviour at service areas, keep load details confidential and use telematics that alert the office when a vehicle moves unexpectedly.
