The National Police dismantled a criminal group linked to ‘El Tren de Aragua’ specialized in robberies with extreme violence in the Community of Madrid. The operation, culminating in six arrests, began in August 2025 after an assault on a single-family home in a private neighborhood on the outskirts of the capital.
In that first blow, the criminals, armed with short pistols and equipped with a powerful signal jammer, gagged and tied their hands and feet to the victims for almost five hours.
They seized pieces of watches and jewelry valued at 1,500,000 euros, 200,000 euros in cash and achieved a cryptocurrency transfer for 1,300,000 euros. The victims suffered physical attacks and were threatened with death when loaded weapons were pointed at their heads.
The authorities They did not clarify what type of digital assets, whether bitcoin, ethers or NFTwere stolen from the victims. Details were also not provided on whether it was a transaction from a hardware wallet or if the funds were on an exchange.
Investigations revealed that two of those involved had participated three days earlier in another similar robbery in a tourist apartment. There they also subdued the victim, who had recently arrived in Spain, using the same techniques of violence and intimidation, although they were unable to transfer bank funds.
A third assault at another holiday accommodation ended with the victim being shot in the face, who was seriously injured and put his life at risk, which implicated the Homicide Unit.
The agents found a modus operandi very selective. They monitored people with high purchasing power, They studied their routines or contacted them simulating legitimate reasons to access homes. They had sophisticated logistical material, such as firearms, counterfeit license plates, elements to conceal identities and frequency jammers.
Yesterday, six simultaneous entries and searches were carried out at homes in Madrid, Murcia and Camarma de Esteruelas. Among the effects seized, a simulated weapon, an inhibitor, bent plates, watches, jewelry, more than 2,700 euros in cash, mobile terminals and 100 grams of narcotic substances (mainly MDMA and ketamine) stand out.
The six detainees were brought to justice accused of belonging to a criminal organization, robbery with violence, illegal detention, fraud and against public health. Three of them have been placed in provisional prison. The operation confirms the active presence in Spain of Aragua Train cells dedicated to high-impact crimes.
Regarding this type of cases in Spain, and Europe in general, CriptoNoticias has reported on multiple occasions, portraying the complicated situation experienced by holders of digital assets. In fact, an investigation found that the epicenter of the attacks is in France.
Cybersecurity experts at Unstoppable warn that owning bitcoin or cryptocurrency comes with increasing physical risks. Instead of relying exclusively on hardware wallets, which can give away the user as a target, they recommend prioritizing more discreet solutions such as open source mobile wallets that take advantage of the phone’s secure environments.
The key is to adapt the custody strategy to the personal risk profile, always maintaining a low profile and avoiding publicly exposing the holding of digital assets.