Tenerife Arrest in Violent Arcade Robbery Spree
Police in Tenerife have arrested an individual in a gaming arcade for violent robbery, linking them to a worrying string of similar attacks that have led to multiple arrests and ongoing investigations across the island.
An individual has been arrested in a Tenerife gaming arcade, accused of violent robbery. This arrest is linked to a worrying string of attacks on similar businesses, which has put the island's police on high alert. National Police officers made the arrest at a mini-casino in Finca España, La Laguna. Investigators believe the suspect, who is from the Canary Islands, might be involved in other similar robberies.
Over recent months, the province has seen many violent robberies targeting gaming arcades, mostly in Santa Cruz de Tenerife and La Laguna. This has led to the arrest of at least four men in just over a month, suspected of being involved in these attacks. Two of these men, believed to be leaders of a criminal gang, have already been sent to prison while awaiting trial. They are linked to robberies at around fifteen businesses, including some in the Los Majuelos area.
Police investigations show that these gangs use sharp weapons like knives, katanas, and machetes to threaten staff and steal money. To avoid being identified, the attackers typically cover their faces with masks, caps, and hoods, and wear gloves. In at least thirteen cases, they escaped by car or motorcycle. The gangs were well-organised, usually with at least three people inside the business and a fourth person watching outside.
One example of these incidents happened in the early hours of January 19. Two people, armed with a machete, tried to break into a Mini Kasino in the Yumbo shopping centre in Ofra, Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Quick-thinking staff managed to close the doors, stopping the attackers from getting in. The suspects then fled in a rented Seat Ibiza. A La Laguna Local Police patrol later spotted the car speeding, leading to a chase that ended in a crash at a roundabout on the Rosario main road, near Las Moraditas. After a large police operation, one of the occupants, a young man of Maghrebi origin born in the Canary Islands, was arrested.
The details of the recent arrest in Finca España have been passed to the Judicial Police Brigade's Group for Crimes Against Persons. They are continuing to investigate if more people were involved in this incident and its links to the wider robbery network in Tenerife's main urban area. The attempted robbery in Ofra is also still being investigated by the Judicial Police at the North District Police Station in Santa Cruz.