The Mossos d'Esquadra have arrested ten people in Barcelona and have criminally charged another nine as alleged perpetrators of damage by graffiti on railway infrastructures. The investigation has allowed to clarify 115 criminal acts linked to large-scale graffiti on trains of different operators.
The damages attributed to this activity exceed 377,000 euros. The police operation culminated on April 16 with the arrests made in the Catalan capital, after months of investigations focused on repeated attacks against parked railway material.
Trains from various operators and illicit accesses to facilities
The investigation was launched from the analysis of crimes repeatedly committed on convoys of Renfe, FGC and TMB. The pattern detected by the investigators pointed to illicit access to railway facilities to carry out large-format graffiti on trains that were parked.
Among those identified are people who had not been investigated until now and others who had already been investigated and charged for similar acts during 2023 and 2024. The majority of those involved are repeat offenders with a history of graffiti and other crimes against property.
Background and police surveillance
One of the detainees, additionally, had a record for assault against authority. The case follows the line of other investigations opened in recent years regarding damages in the railway sector, an especially sensitive scenario due to the economic cost of the repairs and the impact on the service.
The operation has also served to update the map of usual perpetrators and new individuals involved in this type of actions, with a follow-up on people who allegedly would have acted repeatedly in different points of the network.
Strengthening of prevention in stations
In parallel to the investigation, the Mossos have intensified this year the prevention of railway incidents in several stations with the deployment of the Iris device in different municipalities. The plan incorporates specific patrols, the use of drones to detect vulnerable points and constant coordination with Renfe and ADIF.
With these measures, the Catalan police seeks to reduce new intrusions in railway facilities and stop damages that, besides the economic impact, oblige to reinforce surveillance on trains and infrastructures in different points of Catalonia.