The Mossos d'Esquadra have arrested 47 people for alleged robberies and thefts on the AP-7 highway as it passes through the Girona regions between January and November 2025. Of these 47 people, 14 were arrested on more than one occasion during the same period, which raises the total number of arrests to 77. The road accumulates 1,347 reports for this type of crime in those eleven months, an average of more than four daily reports.
Increase in robberies on the AP-7 after the removal of tolls
According to data provided by the Govern, most of the complaints correspond to thefts and robberies with force inside vehicles, especially at gas stations and service areas. The figure of 1,347 complaints represents 5.36% of the total complaints of this typology in the Girona Police Region in that interval. In 2024, on the same stretch of the AP-7, 1,539 robberies and thefts were recorded, which represented 5.67% of the provincial total.
The Mossos have detected that the gangs act in an organized manner, normally in groups of three or four people. Among the most common methods, the so-called "punxa-rodes" stand out, in which the alleged perpetrators simulate a breakdown so that the victim stops and, once stopped, they steal the belongings from inside the vehicle.
Profile of the arrested and recidivism
In the period of 2025, one of those arrested came to accumulate up to nine detentions. The UOM has identified close to a hundred thieves operating on the AP-7, especially in the section of the Girona regions. The Government highlights that there are people with a very high number of accumulated detentions over time, and some of them exceed a hundred police detentions.
In the previous year, 2024, 46 people were detained for these acts and 78 detentions were carried out in total, with 19 arrested more than once.
Police resources and reinforcement of surveillance
The Girona group of the Operational Mobility Unit (UOM) currently has three members, two mossos and one corporal. In addition, the UOM has 15 more agents distributed among Tarragona, Manresa, and Sabadell, totaling 18 members. The General Mobility Commissariat is studying expanding the UOM's structure to reinforce the units in Girona, Sabadell, Manresa, and Tarragona and increase from the current 18 members to 26.
"According to the Govern, these agents mainly carry out tasks of investigating crimes committed on roads such as the AP-7 and, depending on availability, also perform preventive tasks and participate in special operations related to this type of crime." - Spokesperson, Govern
The Minister of Interior and Public Security, Núria Parlon, has recalled that other units, especially those of citizen security, also carry out planned surveillance and prevention services on the AP-7 to try to stop these robberies and thefts.
Balance and context in the Girona region
Since the removal of tolls, robberies on the AP-7 have experienced an increase, according to data collected in the parliamentary response of the Minister of Interior to a question posed by Junts MP Sònia Martínez. The situation keeps police forces and investigation teams specialized in mobility and road crime on alert.
- 47 people arrested for robberies and thefts on the Girona AP-7 in 2025
- 1,347 complaints between January and November 2025, 5.36% of the provincial total
- Organized gangs and high recidivism among those arrested
- Planned reinforcement of the UOM to increase surveillance on the highway