Alleged Crucifix Robbery Ring Busted As 6 Held Over Cemetery Heists

Six people have been arrested in Spain for their alleged roles in a cemetery-robbing ring that saw mainly bronze crucifixes stolen from graves, crushed into tiny pieces and sold to be melted down.

The group allegedly removed hundreds of crosses from around 20 cemeteries in towns across the central Toledo province, said police.

Officers on Saturday morning seized 90 crucifixes that they believed had just been stolen from one cemetery. They then raided a unit on an industrial estate in the Madrid region and found thousands of Euros in cash and pieces of crucifixes weighing around 2,200 pounds. Documents detailing the sale of the stolen metal were also discovered, according to reports.

Guardia Civil police shared footage from the operation on X, formerly Twitter:

Police have arrested four people on suspicion of theft and two others on suspicion of receiving stolen goods. None of the suspects have been named.

In an article detailing the wave of thefts last month, English language newspaper Sur in English noted the sought-after status of bronze had turned cemeteries into an easy target for gangs.