Tenerife airport workers arrested after '拢1.7m worth of items stolen from luggage'
Among the allegedly stolen items was more than 拢11,000 in cash and numerous mobile phones. Police believe the items were then sold online and in local shops.
Friday 15 December 2023 18:09, UK
Fourteen workers at one of Spain's main tourist airports have been arrested on suspicion of stealing items from passengers' checked-in luggage.
Police seized allegedly stolen items worth almost €2m (£1.72m) from the employees at Sur-Reina Sofía de Tenerife, in Spain's Canary Islands.
The items included €13,000 (£11,156) worth of cash, 29 luxury watches, 120 items of jewellery and 22 mobile phones and electronic devices.
Belongings were stolen as the baggage was being placed in the aircraft hold, police said.
A video posted by police showed a ring that had been hidden inside a pair of headphones.
The investigation began after a rise in passenger complaints about items going missing from their luggage, the police statement said.
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Police believe many of the stolen items were then sold online or in local shops.
A further 20 airport employees are under investigation.
Around 11 million passengers a year travel through the airport, most of them European tourists keen to soak up the sun on the island off the coast of northwest Africa.