Cargo crime & security risks in Spain & Portugal

Cargo crime in Spain is rising. Since the start of 2024, the TAPA EMEA Intelligence System (TIS) has received reports of over 1,140 cargo thefts across the country, mostly road-based incidents. 

This session will provide an update by Guardia Civil to give Spanish law enforcements’ perspective of the current cargo crime scenario in Spain and discuss the need to gain more intelligence on risks and incidents impacting supply chains in Portugal.

Collectively, the more than 1,150 recorded cargo crimes for Spain and Portugal last year produced a total loss value of €34,590,019 for the 405 or 35% of reports sharing financial data. This produced an average for all crimes with a value of €85,407. All but one of the 42 major cargo thefts in Spain and Portugal involving goods with a value of €100K or more were recorded in Spain, producing an average loss for all high value incidents in Spain and Portugal of €669,469.

Speaker profiles:

Lieutenant Rubén Sanz López has worked in the Central Criminal Intelligence Unit of Guardia Civil since September 2022, coordinating the police response  to property crimes. Within the variety of crimes against property the section focuses on, cargo crime stands out. In the international field, he provides intelligence and coordinates the investigation of the different patrimony operations of the Guardia Civil with European Institutions and Law Enforcement Authorities, including Europol and Interpol.

Filipe Joel de Almeida is Corporate Security & Business Resilience Manager at Rangel Logistics Solutions and also serves as Regional Lead for TAPA EMEA in Spain, Portugal, and Africa. He joined Rangel in 2021 as Corporate Security & Loss Prevention Manager, and took up his current post in April 2024.