The investigation began in July, when Civil Guard investigators from Ejea de los Caballeros located copper material with specific characteristics at a company dedicated to waste treatment and management in Zaragoza province.
After their initial inquiries, specialists determined that the material found at the recycling center—more than 1,300 kilograms of copper wiring and pieces made of the same material—could have come from a company in Figueruelas that uses copper to manufacture its products. The company’s representatives subsequently verified this beyond any doubt.
The investigation began this past July
THE SUSPECTS WORKED FOR A SUBCONTRACTED COMPANY
The investigation also made it possible to identify the people who had sold the copper at the waste center. They were employees of a subcontracted company working for the affected business, where the material had been stolen.
Agents also established that these individuals had made numerous sales of identical material from the beginning of 2026 until July. To justify the copper’s origin, they claimed it belonged to the company they worked for. Through these transactions, they made a financial profit of nearly 50,000 euros, which was divided equally between the sellers.
The Civil Guard investigation determined that the suspects had access to the affected company’s facilities. Taking advantage of their employment and their knowledge of where the stolen material was located, they entered at times and on days when they were not authorized to do so in order to take it. They then traveled to the recycling center to sell it, pretending it had come from their own company and thereby avoiding any suspicion about the material’s illegal origin.
As a result, on the morning of September 2, the Civil Guard located and arrested the alleged perpetrators. They were two men, of Spanish and Albanian nationality, aged 37 and 45 respectively. They were accused of alleged continuing theft and fraud and were placed at the disposal of the judicial authorities on the same day they were arrested.
The investigation led to the recovery of more than 1,300 kilograms of the material, which was returned to its rightful owner.
