Catalonia police in the city of Mataró, near Barcelona, have recovered a large cache of electronic devices, including nearly 1,000 stolen mobile phones that were reportedly destined for Morocco. In a statement cited by Spanish media, the police said they had dismantled a network specializing in fraud and the trafficking of stolen phones across Spain and Europe. This latest operation is tied to an earlier investigation that led to the arrest of 17 people and sought to uncover those responsible for receiving stolen goods. In this second phase, the police focused on dismantling a key layer of the criminal organization, whose operations extended beyond Spain's borders. According to the investigation, two members of the network were buying stolen phones in bulk before distributing them to other countries, including Morocco. Police revealed that in just the past two months, they had traced nearly 2,000 stolen devices, using geolocation features activated by their owners in official reports. Investigators also uncovered the group's involvement in phishing scams. The suspects posed as security agencies or individuals claiming to have recovered lost phones, tricking victims into providing login details. Once obtained, these credentials were used to hack into bank and email accounts, enabling fraudulent cryptocurrency transfers that, in some cases, exceeded €200,000. The network would gather the phones, reconfigure them, and then deliver them to truck drivers working for Moroccan logistics companies based in Tangier, who used their trips to smuggle the devices. On May 9, police intercepted one of these trucks, seizing 168 high-end smartphones and four laptops hidden inside.
