The investigation revealed that they were winning unusually high prizes on a roulette machine.
Spain.- The Navarre Police Force arrested four men of Georgian origin for their alleged involvement in an itinerant criminal organization, accused of manipulating an electronic roulette in a gaming hall in the Azpilagaña neighborhood, in Pamplona, with the goal of defrauding EUR15,000.
The operation began after the complaint from the local managers, who observed suspicious patterns in the behavior of several regular customers. These individuals, who repeatedly visited the establishment, were winning unusually high prizes on a roulette machine.
Following the alert, the Property Crimes Brigade initiated an investigation, during which the suspects, all with criminal records, were identified. The inquiries confirmed that the detainees altered the operation of the roulette to generate illicit gains, reaching a loot close to EUR15,000.
In a more detailed investigation, it was discovered that the detainees operated as a team: one physically manipulated the roulette, another performed surveillance functions to evade security cameras, while a third distracted the local worker. The fourth member of the group remained outside, watching from a getaway vehicle.
The investigation also revealed criminal records of some of the detainees, who had already been involved in other crimes, such as an attempt at fraud in a store in Pamplona or intervention in a hotel in Cordovilla.
In order to stop this criminal activity, the Navarre Police deployed a special operation, which culminated in the capture of the four involved at the end of last week.
After their arrest, the detainees were transferred to police facilities and, subsequently, made available to the Court of Instruction number 5 of Pamplona. The judge decreed their provisional freedom with charges.
The agents also discovered that the group was staying in a tourist apartment in Pamplona, booked under the identity of a Georgian woman. During the arrest, 48 EUR50 bills (EUR2,400), supposedly from the scam, were found.
