This is how the gang of Álex el Ruso fell: a kidnapping in Almería for some bales of hashish full of salt gave clues to the clue

2023-04-21T23:05:18.385Z

The National Police dismantles a violent criminal group that operated in western Almeria after the kidnapping of a "cruelly" tortured citizen

Police operation to dismantle the gang of Alex the Russian in Almería. National Police

At gunpoint, a group of men kidnapped another on October 27 in the city of Almería.

They transferred him to a farm in the west of Almeria, in the surroundings of El Ejido, where he was "cruelly" tortured for hours, according to what he himself later recounted.

His captors demanded 50,000 euros, they said, because a mutual friend had deceived them by selling them two bales full of salt instead of hashish.

Frightened, he agreed to pay and even point out his family members, but for the next few weeks the extortion continued, including GPS tracking and continued harassment.

Tired of an endless nightmare, he ended up denouncing the National Police.

He began an express investigation there that has led to the end of Álex's gang, alias El Ruso, a very violent international organization dedicated to

Alexander, 40 years old, blond, short but very stout, and with his skin full of tattoos, is an old acquaintance of the National Police.

He has previous arrests for robberies with violence in Almería and other eastern Spanish provinces.

He had settled in the western part of Almeria some time ago, where he lived in a luxurious residence, drove high-end vehicles and handled a lot of cash.

Police intelligence already knew that, from there, he directed an organization whose main characteristic was violence.

This, in fact, was not the first investigation that tried to end the gang, but results were never achieved.

“They worked with many security measures, they changed cars often, they were very hermetic.

It has not been easy to reach them, ”say sources in the case.

Police operation to dismantle the gang of Alex 'el ruso' in Almería. National Police

The denunciation of the kidnapping was the breach that allowed the National Police to enter the organization of El Ruso.

The way of acting that the kidnapped reported coincided with the information that the agents already handled.

The man had suffered numerous injuries all over his body, punched for hours and hit with tools.

The injuries lasted for weeks.

After paying the 50,000 euros they requested, the group continued their harassment and even installed a tracking beacon in his vehicle to keep track of him at all times.

The police believe that the reason the captors gave the kidnapped man was an excuse, something made up to get money from him.

"It is rare that someone so experienced a group was deceived with two bales full of salt instead of hashish," say sources in the case.

"Violence was the trademark of the house," say police sources.

So much so that the main activity of the gang was not the buying and selling of drugs, they directly dedicated themselves to stealing the merchandise from other drug traffickers.

"No one trusted them," says one of the agents who have participated in the investigation.

As a result of these overturns, they carried out other activities derived from it: settling accounts, kidnappings and extortion, a rarity in the criminal world of Almería, although in other areas such as the Costa del Sol it is more frequent.

Nor is it usual for a hostage to report his capture for fear of reprisals, but it was an opportunity that the agents did not miss.

The investigation, little by little, allowed to know the members and the hierarchy of the organization.

The Russian was the leader,

while a Lithuanian and a Spanish citizen were his lieutenants.

The rest of the members were below the ranks.

They formed a melting pot of nationalities: American, Russian, Moroccan and a Spaniard from Almería.

Most had backgrounds related to drug trafficking and violent robberies.

All maintained a good standard of living despite not having any work activity.

Although they used to change cars and homes quite frequently, they were all settled in four homes spread between Roquetas de Mar and El Ejido.

Until the operation culminated in the entry into the houses and the arrest of eight people.