Spanish police have arrested 14 employees at Tenerife airport on suspicion of theft from passengers’ checked-in luggage, AP reports. Among the items seized were luxury watches, jewelry and cash.
It was when more and more passengers complained about getting rid of things that Spanish police began to suspect the airport staff at Tenerife’s main airport, Tenerife South Airport.
Roughly 11 million tourists go via the airport every year to enjoy the warm climate of the Canary Islands, off the northwest coast of Africa.
When the police began to investigate where the things disappeared, suspicions were directed at the staff at the airport.
Theft from checked baggage
The investigation also showed that it was when the passengers checked in the luggage that the bags were opened and valuables were taken out, and then the bags were put back.
On Friday, Spanish police arrested 14 employees at the airport. They confiscated almost two million euros – along with around thirty expensive watches, 120 pieces of jewelery and 22 mobile phones.
The suspects from the staff have already sold several of the items online or in local stores, the police in the Canary Islands state in a press release.
A further 20 employees at the airport are being investigated for involvement in the thefts.