Tenerife Airport: Man Caught Smuggling 47 Stolen Phones

The Civil Guard has stopped an attempt to smuggle stolen mobile phones at Tenerife North-Ciudad de la Laguna airport. This incident highlights how persistent criminal networks are in dealing stolen goods across the islands.

Police said they arrested a 28-year-old man from Lleida. He was planning to fly to mainland Spain with 47 mobile phones hidden in his checked suitcase.

The discovery happened when officers from the Tax and Borders Unit, working with airport security staff, spotted the unusual contents using an X-ray scanner. They found the passenger and opened his suitcase, confirming the 47 phones were inside. The man couldn't prove he owned them or where they came from legally. A quick check of the phones showed that several were listed in police records as stolen.

This case points to the ongoing problem of mobile phone theft, especially in busy places like festivals, carnivals, or tourist spots, where phones are often snatched, sometimes even with violence. The man has been accused of 'fencing'. This crime involves buying or having stolen goods, knowing they were taken illegally, with the aim of making money. It's a crucial part of the organized crime chain.

The Civil Guard is now working with other police forces to find the rightful owners of the recovered phones. The arrested man and the official reports have been handed over to the courts.

This isn't an isolated incident. Authorities remember that in January, a similar operation in Tenerife stopped another person who had 24 stolen mobile phones. This shows a clear pattern of trying to smuggle these items off the island.