British man arrested in Ibiza after 'using stolen UK hire van' for holiday crime spree including £86,000 luxury store heist
A British national has been busted in Ibiza for his alleged involvement in a gang carrying out a string of robberies across the popular holiday destination using a stolen car.
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The man has been accused of using a van stolen from the UK with fake number plates as a getaway vehicle, according to the Guardia Civil.
This includes a heist at a luxury goods store in Marina Botafoch - with officers later recovering €100,000 (£86,000) worth of stolen goods following a targeted investigation.
Named Operation Lezo Ball, police began probing the alleged gang after the theft of a van on 14 July in the Montecristo industrial estate.
Their inquiries led them to a group of British citizens staying in Sant Antoni, who had allegedly travelled to Ibiza with the aim of committing burglaries.
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Earlier this month, officers located an abandoned burnt-out vehicle with a British number plate they suspected was an attempt to destroy evidence.
The vehicle, found to be stolen, was later linked to alleged crimes including the heist at the luxury goods store.
One man has been arrested for his alleged involvement robberies - with violence in establishments and vehicle theft, according to Majorca Daily Bulletin.
Officers are reportedly still investigating the gang for further criminal activity in Ibiza.
Earlier this year, a young British couple were convicted over a £20 million drug smuggling plot after they were arrested in a nightclub in Ibiza.
Merseyside man Eddie Burton, 23, and his former partner Sian Banks, 25, were convicted of orchestrating two large-scale drug importations.
Burton was living in mainland Europe at the time two lorries containing heroin, cocaine and ketamine were intercepted at Dover port in the summer of 2022.
The drugs weighed a combined 307 kilos with an estimated street value of £20 million.
Police initiated a manhunt for Burton who was living in mainland Europe under an alias before his arrest in Pacha nightclub for unrelated drug dealing offences.
After his return to the UK, he pleaded guilty to four counts of importing Class A and B drugs.
Banks, also from Liverpool, pleaded guilty to a total of seven charges on Monday, including importing Class A drugs and money laundering.
The couple are awaiting sentencing.
LBC has contacted the Guardia Civil for comment.