19 motorbikes stolen in Mallorca due to be shipped in parts to Senegal

As part of Operation ‘Blackmotor’, officers have arrested a 50-year-old man, a resident of Selva, on suspicion of being responsible for looking after and handling the motorcycles, according to a statement from the Guardia Civil.

The operation was launched in response to a rise in vehicle thefts in Mallorca, particularly small-engined scooter-type motorbikes. Guardia Civil officers in Inca discovered that some of the motorbikes stolen in Palma might be being transported to a clandestine workshop in rural Mallorca, with a view to subsequently shipping them out of Spain.

The investigation led the officers to an abandoned factory in Selva, inside which they found numerous motorbikes, most of them dismantled. There, 19 vehicles were identified by their chassis numbers, as in most cases the number plates had been removed.

The Guardia Civil officers also confirmed that all the motorbikes had been stolen in Palma between April and June.

Analysis of the packaging and labelling on some of the parts revealed that the motorbikes were destined for Senegal, where they were allegedly to be reassembled and put back on the road.

The investigation remains open to identify the alleged perpetrators of the thefts, and the Guardia Civil has not ruled out further arrests.