(AFP) Posted Tuesday November 23, 2010 – 12:27pm
More than 250 police, some on horseback or motorcycles, staged a
major operation Tuesday against one of Spain's most active copper theft
rings, detaining 36 suspected members, police said.
The
authorities seized just over 100 tonnes of copper as part of the
operation carried out at "El Gallinero", or "The Chicken Coop", a
squatter settlement on the outskirts of Madrid that is home mainly to
Roma migrants.
"This area of Madrid served as the headquarters of
one of the most active copper theft groups that operated across the
country," police commander Javier Rogero told reporters.
"The
theft of copper is taking place practically in all geographic areas but
thanks to operations like this one we are managing to slowly reduce
their numbers."
Most of the copper stolen by the gang came from
water pipes and telephone lines, but some of it was stripped from
high-speed rail lines.
With prices hitting a record of 8,966
dollars per tonne earlier this month because of strong demand from
countries like China, copper bandits around the world are reaping the
benefits of a market fighting to keep up with demand.
The
industrial metal, which is used in plumbing, heating, electrical and
telecommunications wiring, has rocketed by around 50 percent since June,
boosted also by the weak dollar and strikes in key producer Chile.
