Spain arrests 14 airport workers over theft from luggage

MADRID: Spanish police said on Friday they have arrested 14 workers at the main airport on the holiday island of Tenerife on suspicion of stealing watches, laptops and other valuables from checked-in luggage.

Officers seized items worth nearly two million euros ($2.2 million) which they suspect were stolen by employees of Tenerife South airport, including 29 luxury watches, 22 high-end smartphones and 120 pieces of jewellery, as part of their operation, police said in a statement.

Police believe the 14 arrested suspects sold many other stolen items either to local stores or online. Another 20 employees of the airport are under investigation as well as 27 jewellery shops in Tenerife, one of the seven islands which make up Spain´s Canary Islands.