Robbery involving gas and fake plates: the trail leads to Orihuela
Spain’s National Police have arrested a 29-year-old man in Orihuela who was wanted by French authorities in connection with two jewellery robberies valued at approximately €500,000. French media have also reported a possible link between the group under investigation and a violent attack on jewellers in Geneva.
The search leads to Orihuela
Spain’s National Police have arrested a 29-year-old man in Orihuela who was wanted by French authorities under a European Arrest Warrant.
According to Europa Press, the man is suspected of involvement in two robberies committed in 2024 in the French city of Bayeux. The total financial loss is estimated at approximately €500,000.
The alleged offences include robbery with violence, membership of a criminal group and handling criminal property.
French authorities passed information about the wanted man to Spanish police after suspecting that he might be in Alicante province. National Police officers opened an investigation, located the suspect and organised an operation to arrest him in Orihuela.
After police proceedings were completed, the man was brought before the Central Investigating Court of Spain’s National High Court, which is responsible for processing the procedure for his possible surrender to France.
According to police information, the alleged offences could carry a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison and a fine of up to €375,000.
Geneva: an attack that resembles a crime film
The story takes on an international dimension because French media have reported a possible connection between the group investigated in the Bayeux case and an attack on jewellers in Geneva. However, the detained man’s involvement in the Geneva incident has not been publicly established.
The attack took place on 28 February 2024 in car park P2 at Geneva International Airport. Several assailants attacked a taxi carrying Geneva-based jewellers and valuables.
According to Geneva Cantonal Police, the attackers used a white Peugeot 308 bearing a fake Belgian registration plate. The vehicle blocked the taxi’s path. The assailants then smashed the taxi’s rear window and used an incapacitating gas against its occupants.
They took two blue fabric suitcases containing watches and jewellery worth several million Swiss francs. The attackers then fled in the white Peugeot, where an accomplice was waiting for them.
This was not an improvised street robbery: the vehicle with false plates, the blocked taxi and the coordinated actions of several participants point to a planned operation.
In September 2024, Geneva police, working with Belgian law enforcement, released footage of the attack and appealed to the public for help identifying the suspects and locating the stolen valuables.
French media subsequently reported a possible connection between the group under investigation and the Geneva incident. If this theory is confirmed, the investigation could involve criminal activity across several countries.
The international search continues
The confirmed fact so far is the arrest in Orihuela of a man wanted by France in connection with the Bayeux robberies. The possible link to the Geneva attack remains a separate line of inquiry that requires documentary confirmation.
There is currently insufficient public information to establish whether the jewellery stolen in these incidents has been recovered or whether any valuables were found during the arrest in Orihuela.
Following the arrest, the Spanish judicial authorities must process the case to consider the man’s possible surrender to France. Further investigation is expected to clarify the circumstances of the alleged offences and the role of each suspect.
International sources
All allegations remain unproven unless and until a court determines guilt. The detained man’s possible connection to the Geneva attack has not been confirmed by the public materials cited in this article.
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