Thrilling behind-the-scenes: Barcelona star's cameras expose a criminal gang's secret
What happened?
Security cameras at the home of Barcelona goalkeeper Joan Garcia handed the Mossos d'Esquadra the breakthrough they needed to arrest three members of a criminal gang in Barcelona.
The group targeted high-value homes and consisted of two men aged 58 and 42, both currently in prison, plus a 46-year-old woman who has since been released. All three have been in custody since 1 October, when officers detained them in the Gava area.
Information obtained by the website "ElCaso.com" and published by the Catalan newspaper "Sport" revealed that officers from the Criminal Investigation Division (DIC) established how the suspects worked. They picked out the homes of people they knew, believing valuables were inside. Before each break-in, they would survey the properties and monitor the movements of the residents, using rental cars to get around.
Thieves broke into Joan Garcia's home in the Castelldefels area during the last Spanish Super Cup. The raid came on 10 January, with the tournament taking place in Saudi Arabia. Pau Cubarsi's home had been hit a few days earlier, on 30 December, while he was at training with the Catalan side.
Jewellery was stolen from Garcia's home, while a watch was taken from Cubarsi's house. The alarm at Joan's home went off at eight o'clock in the evening, Spanish time, after two people dressed in black clothing entered the property. A local police patrol arrived quickly, followed by a Mossos unit, the Catalan police, and two security guards from the company Barcelona contract to protect their players.
Cubarsi's break-in came on the second day of Barcelona's training sessions after the Christmas break. The player, who comes from the town of Estanyol and lives with his sister, was having a meal at the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper complex with his team-mates. The thieves struck at around half past two in the afternoon, with the house empty.
Months later, the newspaper "El Caso" reported that Joan Garcia's video surveillance system proved key to linking the burglary to the criminal group and to eight subsequent burglaries. That trail ended with the arrest of the three individuals on 1 October in Gava.
Eight house burglaries have now been linked to the group by the Criminal Investigation Division: two in Castelldefels, and the rest in El Papiol, Sant Vicenc de Montalt, Cubelles, Peralada, Sant Pere de Ribes and Aiguaviva.
Officers analysed witness statements, surveillance camera footage and other evidence that connected the suspects to the locations under investigation.
Each of the detained individuals had a specific role, according to the investigation. One identified the houses and took direct part in the burglaries. The others handled logistics, transport and supplying the necessary resources, such as renting vehicles.
