A decision to skip vehicle maintenance has ended with the arrest of two men and the seizure of over two tonnes of stolen copper, valued at approximately €40,000. Guardia Civil patrol officers in Huesca apprehended the pair, residents of Girona, after their dilapidated van drew attention on a motorway.
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The incident occurred on Monday, 9 February, on the AP-2 motorway near the town of Fraga, close to the border with Catalunya. According to a report from El Caso, officers from the Guardia Civil’s traffic division were conducting a routine surveillance operation when they spotted a van with a visible defect in its bodywork. Its poor condition prompted them to signal the driver to pull over for an inspection.
After stopping the vehicle, officers identified the two occupants as men aged 25 and 27, both living in the province of Girona. A subsequent search of the van’s cargo area revealed a significant haul: bundles of copper wiring weighing a total of 2,335 kilograms. The material showed clear signs of manipulation, with its protective plastic coating stripped away – a common practice to prepare stolen cable for sale on the black market.
Receiving Stolen Goods
Officers immediately arrested the two men for the crime of receptación, or receiving stolen goods. Under the Spanish Criminal Code, this charge applies to individuals who acquire, possess, or traffic items they know to be of illicit origin, even if they were not involved in the original theft. The investigation now focuses on determining the source of the high-value metal and identifying whether the arrested men acted as couriers for a larger criminal network.
This arrest highlights how routine police stops can uncover more significant criminal activity, a pattern seen in other recent cases. Indeed, vigilant police work recently ended the long criminal career of a prolific car thief at El Prat Airport, drawing clear parallels.
A Growing National Problem
This seizure is not an isolated incident but reflects a worrying trend across Spain. The theft of copper, driven by high global demand and prices, has become a major challenge for law enforcement and infrastructure companies. Thieves often target railway lines, power stations, and telecommunications infrastructure, causing widespread service disruptions and significant economic damage.
Accordings to a recent report from El País, formal complaints for copper theft have surged by 87% since 2019, underscoring the scale of the problem. The profitability of this illicit trade continues to attract organised criminal groups, who manage sophisticated operations for stealing, processing, and selling the valuable metal.
The Guardia Civil’s specialist ROCA teams, focusing on rural crime, continue the investigation into the Fraga bust, leading efforts to trace the copper’s origin and uncover any further accomplices.
