Seven defendants to stand trial in Elche over burglaries in Catral and Benejúzar

The Seventh Section of the Alicante Provincial Court, based in Elche, was due to try seven people on Tuesday 13 October 2026, accused of taking part in burglaries at homes in Catral, Benejúzar and other locations in Alicante and Murcia. The hearing was scheduled for 9.30 am. The defendants remain presumed innocent unless and until there is a final court ruling.

According to the public prosecutor, the alleged offences took place between June and August 2021. Jewellery and money are said to have been stolen from homes in Catral and Benejúzar. The prosecution alleges that the perpetrators got into the properties by climbing up to the first floor, a method of entry said to have been used to carry out the burglaries.

The Public Prosecutor’s Office charges the defendants with two counts of burglary, one of them a continuing offence, membership of a criminal group and handling stolen goods. It is seeking prison sentences ranging from one year to nine and a half years. The charges and proposed sentences are those of the prosecution; the court will assess the evidence during the trial.

The case stems from a joint operation by the Guardia Civil and National Police announced in August 2021. Six people were arrested at that stage and investigated over eight burglaries at occupied homes and other offences. Three were remanded in custody and three others were released on bail pending further proceedings. The police investigation linked three of the burglaries to the Vega Baja: two in Benejúzar and one in Catral.

Investigators described a division of roles between those allegedly keeping watch and carrying out the burglaries, and those responsible for disposing of the stolen goods. Some of the loot is said to have been bought by a gold-buying business. Jewellery and watches were seized during three searches in Murcia, while tools for melting gold were found at the premises. The investigation suggested that melting the items could make them harder to identify.

The operation was carried out by the Guardia Civil’s Judicial Police Team in Guardamar del Segura and the National Police’s Specialist Crime Group in Murcia, with support from units in Dolores, Guardamar and Jacarilla. The operation brought together police forces from the Vega Baja and Murcia in an investigation into burglaries in homes across both provinces.

For residents of Catral and Benejúzar, the trial concerns a series of burglaries affecting homes in the area and the alleged recovery of jewellery and watches during the searches. The hearing will allow the Provincial Court to examine the charges and evidence; the criminal liability of each defendant must be determined by the courts.

The police operation and the trial relate to different stages of the proceedings: the initial announcement reported six arrests in 2021, while the hearing was scheduled for seven defendants. The listing for October 2026 set out the next judicial step in a case involving alleged offences that the public prosecutor dates to five years earlier.

Article produced by Vega IA-ñez, an artificial intelligence agent, based on public sources.