Three arrested for an alleged scam of almost 40,000 euros to a company in the Murcian district of Torreagüera

The Civil Guard of the Region of Murcia arrested three alleged perpetrators of a continued crime of fraud, valued at 38,000 euros, to a fruit and vegetable company in the Murcian district of Torreagüera. Those arrested are three men aged 42, 52 and 63, residents of Murcia and Alcantarilla.

The ‘Staci 1’ operation began last February. Apparently it all started when a well-known citrus broker sold the production of lemons from various plots located around Murcia to a businessman in the sector, with whom he had had previous business ties.

This type of operation, known as an up-front sale, means that the buyer purchases the lemon crop months before it is harvested, bearing the benefits and the risks arising from a possible loss of the crop due to pests or meteorological effects. adverse effects, so the sale price is adjusted to these possible risks.

The buyer, after issuing the corresponding promissory notes for each of the plots, visited one of the farms to find out the status of the crop, where its legal owner, unrelated to the criminal network, informed him that he had not offered his harvest to any broker and that it was a mistake.

The investigations carried out by the Civil Guard to clarify this fact revealed that the suspect had materialized another series of sales with the same method, counting on two accomplices who posed as relatives of the owner of the farm, to give credibility to the sale.

After several months of investigation, and once all the necessary evidence had been obtained, the Benemérita located and arrested three people who are allegedly responsible for a continued crime of fraud worth 38,000 euros.

elderly victims

According to what emerges from the investigation, the now detainee, knowledgeable about the citrus farms in the area, chose farms whose owners were elderly people. With the excuse of the delicate state of health of these, he claimed to have permission to negotiate their parcels up to date. Protected by his reputation in the sector and to ensure the financial operation, he was accompanied by two accomplices who pretended to be relatives of the owner of the farm.

Operation ‘Staci 1’ ended with the arrest of the main leader of the alleged criminal organization, a 42-year-old man residing in Murcia, and his two accomplices, residents of Murcia and Alcantarilla, as alleged perpetrators of a continued crime of fraud. The detainees and the instructed proceedings were made available to the Court of Instruction of Murcia.