Spanish and Italian police have arrested 34 people linked to eight criminal groups accused of targeting luxury watch owners in Ibiza and the Costa del Sol. Investigators attribute 28 violent robberies to the groups, which allegedly posed as tourists before targeting victims in nightlife areas and marinas.
A luxury watch worth more than €450,000, hidden among a woman’s belongings as she attempted to leave Ibiza by plane, was one of the most striking discoveries in a major police operation targeting organised gangs specialising in high-end watch theft.
Spain’s National Police, working alongside Italy’s State Police (Polizia di Stato), have arrested 34 people linked to eight mobile criminal groups accused of carrying out 28 violent robberies. The investigation, named Operation Contrarreloj, has led to the recovery of six luxury watches, including some valued at more than €450,000.
Ibiza was one of the main locations targeted by the operation, alongside Marbella and Estepona on the Costa del Sol. Investigators found that different gangs travelled to affluent tourist destinations during the summer, allegedly carrying out robberies before leaving quickly — sometimes before their victims had time to react.
Posing as Tourists to Identify High-Value Targets
Some of the groups operated using a carefully organised system. Their members arrived in Ibiza posing as tourists and stayed for only short periods. Each person allegedly had a specific role.
Scouts, sometimes working in male-female pairs, searched for potential victims along seafront promenades, in marinas, nightlife venues and car parks. Their aim was to identify people wearing particularly valuable watches.
Once a target had been selected, other members of the group allegedly carried out the theft, snatching the watch directly from the victim’s wrist. Accomplices waited on motorcycles to provide an immediate getaway, while rental cars were used for support and to transport the stolen items quickly.
Speed was central to the alleged method: arrive at the island, identify a valuable watch, steal it and leave the tourist destination as quickly as possible.
Not all the groups operated in the same way. Police also investigated gangs with their main logistical base in Barcelona, which travelled to Ibiza and Marbella during the tourist season. These groups were characterised by the particularly high levels of violence they allegedly used against their victims.
According to Spain’s National Police, some attackers used a technique known as the “rear-naked choke”, commonly referred to in Spanish as mataleón, while others struck victims with motorcycle helmets to seize their watches.
To make identification more difficult, suspects allegedly used forged identity documents and driving licences, cloned or altered number plates disguised with stickers, and clothing designed to conceal their appearance. In one police operation, officers also seized a frequency jammer.
Arrests in Ibiza: A €50,000 Watch Stolen Outside a Nightclub
One of the most significant interventions in Ibiza took place at the island’s airport, where officers intercepted several members of a criminal cell as they were preparing to board a flight to their home country.
Among the belongings of one of the women was a watch worth more than €450,000, which the group was allegedly attempting to take off the island.
It was not the only major incident uncovered in Ibiza. In a separate operation, police arrested a group outside an Ibiza nightclub after its members allegedly snatched a watch valued at €50,000.
Officers also located two people in Ibiza who were wanted in connection with the violent theft of a €155,000 watch in Madrid.
The cases illustrate how the groups allegedly exploited the concentration of wealthy visitors at certain nightlife venues and tourist hotspots, while also moving between cities to carry out robberies and evade detection.
Police Operation Extended to Barcelona, Madrid and Dénia
In addition to recovering six high-end watches individually valued at between €20,000 and more than €450,000, officers seized a car, four motorcycles, fraudulent number plates, forged documents, a frequency jammer and mobile phones.
Preparations for the operation began in January, when Spain’s National Police established a dedicated coordination group to tackle these criminal organisations both nationally and internationally.
During the summer, the main efforts focused on Ibiza and the Costa del Sol, particularly Marbella and Estepona.
Surveillance was also extended to Barcelona, Madrid, Palma and Dénia, which investigators identified as operational bases, transit points or connections used to move stolen goods.
Barcelona served as a major logistical centre for some of the groups, with members maintaining hideouts there. Madrid acted as a link between different locations and a destination for stolen property.
On the Costa del Sol, one of the most significant cases occurred in late July, when four suspects allegedly attacked a tourist at the entrance to their home in Marbella and stole their watch.
Investigators subsequently tracked down and arrested the suspects in Estepona. During a search, officers recovered the stolen watch and the clothing allegedly worn during the robbery.
Twenty Arrests During the Second Half of August
Police detected an increase in the gangs’ activity towards the end of August, as the summer tourist season approached its conclusion.
During the second half of August, preventive checks and surveillance at ports and airports led to the arrest of a further 20 people before they could leave the islands.
The operation has resulted in 34 arrests in total, with all those detained brought before the judicial authorities.
Investigators have solved 28 violent robberies attributed to eight organised criminal groups. They have also investigated five offences involving document forgery, one offence of handling stolen goods and one offence of causing injury.
One of the recovered watches has already been returned to its owner.
The investigation remains open, and Spain’s National Police have not ruled out further arrests.