Five held after armed workshop extortion probe

Police have broken up an alleged armed extortion gang after a probe that began with a gun threat at a vehicle workshop and led officers to a rural property near Casinos, in the Valencia province.

The National Police said five people aged between 40 and 71 had been arrested in the operation, which was led by the Alicante unit dealing with drugs and organised crime. Officers also seized five firearms ready to fire, along with cash, drugs and police-style equipment.

The investigation began after two men allegedly entered a workshop in Alicante in May, one of them carrying a pistol. Police said the pair asked intimidatingly for the owner of the business and a relative who were not there at the time.

Investigators later linked the incident to threats against a Colombian man and expanded the inquiry, which eventually pointed them towards a rural estate used by the group in the Casinos area.

Weapons and a dug pit

Inside and around the property, officers found what they described as an arsenal prepared for use. The haul included two submachine guns, an automatic pistol, another pistol, a revolver, a silencer, magazines and ammunition.

Police also seized two knuckledusters, two defence sprays, a stun device, three frequency jammers, three GPS trackers, balaclavas, reflective vests and items marked with the National Police logo. In addition, officers found €6,460 in cash and about half a kilo of marijuana.

One of the most concerning discoveries was a pit dug in a secluded natural area near the property. Police said it measured about two metres long, one metre wide and two metres deep, but its purpose has not yet been established. Investigators have not ruled out that it could have been intended to hide evidence or even a body.

The suspects were identified as being from Eastern European countries. Police said one of them had previously been arrested in Xirivella in 2023 during a crackdown on a transnational criminal network allegedly involved in drug trafficking and money laundering.

Ongoing investigation

The operation is still open and further arrests or searches have not been ruled out. Police said the case remains focused on establishing the full role of the group, where the dug-out pit may have been intended to be used and whether the suspects are linked to other crimes.

Four of the arrested men were held at the property in Casinos and later brought before the court in Llíria, while the fifth, who was being held in prison under a semi-release regime, was taken before the courts in Picassent.