Overview
- Eight suspects — six men and two women — were arrested in Operation Falan targeting a Madrid-based group accused of violent robberies and extortion.
- The probe began after a 2025 home invasion in Cantabria in which four occupants were gagged and bound and one was severely assaulted, with jewels, luxury goods and a vehicle worth over €150,000 stolen.
- Late last year five alleged material authors and two collaborators were detained in Madrid, and in 2026 a sixth material suspect was caught in Valencia while tailing a businessman for an alleged kidnapping.
- Five searches in Parla, Getafe and the Salamanca, Puente de Vallecas and Usera districts recovered jewels and evidence and uncovered a clandestine karaoke and gaming room with prostitution, drug use and high-stakes betting, nearly €9,000 in cash, a crowded rental flat and 9,000 packs of counterfeit cigarettes.
- Authorities are analyzing 130 seized items under the direction of Santander’s Investigating Court No. 5 as they assess possible additional crimes against entrepreneurs linked to East Asian communities, with support from national units and international police liaisons.