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The Spanish authorities have arrested 23 people and recovered 8.5 tons of stolen copper linked to a theft ring targeting PV plants in Andalusia, Extremadura and Ávila. The Civil Guard dismantled the network through Operation Kupfer, part of a broader crackdown on copper theft in the country’s solar sector. Spain’s Civil Guard dismantled a group specializing in copper theft from solar plants in the southern regions of Andalusia and Extremadura. Through Operation Kupfer – named after the German word for copper – officers arrested 23 people and opened investigations into five others for burglary and receiving stolen goods. Authorities recovered 21 tons of stolen materials: 7 tons of copper and 14 tons of other items related to solar installations, though no further details were provided. The arrests took place in the provinces of Seville and Badajoz. The group included scrap metal collectors, solar plant workers, and individuals linked to private security firms, who facilitated both the thefts and the resale of stolen materials. The Civil Guard handed the detainees and case files over to the Judicial Authority. The operation ended the activities of a network that had turned copper theft from photovoltaic plants into a profitable scheme, impacting a fast-growing sector in southwestern Spain. Operation Kupfer follows Operation Plácaro, in which officers arrested nine people in late March and investigated eight others in connection with the theft of 1,600 kilograms of copper in the provinces of Ávila and Valladolid. This group falsified documents to sell the stolen copper to a recycling company in Madrid and is linked to illegal dumping in a protected ecological area along the Jarama River. Operation Plácaro began in November after several robberies at a photovoltaic plant in Adanero (Ávila), where thieves used stolen farm machinery to access underground cable ducts. Investigators found that a criminal organization specializing in copper wiring theft had orchestrated the attacks across multiple provinces. Authorities tied the group to thefts at the Adanero and Langa solar plants (Ávila), three Duero Hydrographic Confederation pumping stations, and two electric substations in Simancas (Valladolid) and Narros del Castillo (Ávila). The group used rented vehicles to transport the material to Mejorada del Campo, Madrid, where they sold it to a recycling company. According to the Civil Guard, the organization operated with a clear division of labor: five individuals carried out the thefts and transport, two recycling company employees received and processed the materials using falsified documentation, and an eighth person acted as an intermediary. The ninth participant, the company’s administrator, was aware of the illicit activity. Authorities are also investigating eight additional employees for their potential involvement. Investigators concluded the operation on March 10 and 12 with an inspection of the recycling facility, where they collected evidence and seized 1,596 kg of copper wiring believed to be stolen. |
