Agents of the National Police and Mossos d'Esquadra have arrested four individuals for their alleged membership in a criminal organization that committed violent robberies against digital content creators in Madrid, Coslada, Badalona, and Terrassa. The two leaders have been placed in provisional custody.
Agents of the National Police and Mossos d'Esquadra have dismantled a criminal organization operating in several cities, including Badalona and Terrassa, that was dedicated to violently robbing digital content creators. The investigation, initiated in 2025 following several anonymous complaints, has culminated in the arrest of four individuals and the imprisonment of the two alleged leaders of the network.
According to police sources, the gang contacted camera technicians via social media, offering them the opportunity to produce a music video. They requested that the victims come to a rented flat, where they were greeted by individuals in disguise who concealed their faces with balaclavas, scarves, and even balloons, as part of the supposed aesthetic of the video.
Once inside, the members of the organization displayed firearms and bladed weapons to intimidate the victims, whom they gagged and, in some cases, assaulted. They stole the victims' work equipment — video and photographic cameras — and forced them to provide access codes to their phones and bank accounts. The total economic damage exceeds 70,000 euros.
After obtaining the loot, the assailants left the scene, leaving the victims tied up, and informed them that after a couple of hours, they could leave and retrieve their mobile device, which would be left on a bin in public.
The investigation revealed that the organization had a rigorous prior planning. They contracted phone lines and bank accounts using third-party identities and rented the homes where the robberies took place. Investigators highlight that the gang perfected its modus operandi over time, specialising in this type of crime.
As part of the operation, three searches were conducted at homes in Madrid, Fuenlabrada, and A Coruña. They seized 13 kilos of hashish, over 20,000 euros in cash, clothing used to conceal their appearance during the assaults, 10 mobile phones, an electric stun gun, and a vehicle used in the crimes.
The four detainees, arrested in Madrid and A Coruña, were brought before the judicial authority as alleged perpetrators of the crimes of belonging to a criminal organization, robbery with violence and intimidation, illegal detention, kidnapping, and bodily harm. The judge ordered the provisional imprisonment of the two main leaders of the network.
The operation remains open, and further arrests are not ruled out. The victims from Badalona and Terrassa, as well as those from Madrid and Coslada, have already been identified and are being assisted by victim support services.
This case highlights the increasing sophistication of criminal networks that exploit the vulnerability of digital content creators, a growing collective that often works alone and can be an easy target for such scams.
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