Barcelona police have arrested 85 repeat offenders linked to thefts on the city’s bus network, in a joint operation involving the Mossos d'Esquadra, Barcelona’s Guàrdia Urbana and Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB). Barcelona City Council said on 22 May 2026 that the suspects had 628 prior police records between them, and that five organised criminal groups were dismantled.

The operation focused on busy buses where offenders targeted vulnerable passengers, including women, older people, people with reduced mobility, parents with prams and tourists. Police said the methods used included the “crutch” technique, coordinated group thefts, creating crowds on board and approaching victims under false pretences of help.

Stolen items were mainly mobile phones, wallets and bank cards. Police said these were then used for fraud, fraudulent purchases or to access personal data, and in some cases several thefts were carried out on a single bus journey.

The investigation was led by a joint team made up of the Mossos d'Esquadra’s DIC and Urban Transport Regional Area, the Guàrdia Urbana de Barcelona and TMB. A total of 136 people were investigated, and the work included complaints, TMB CCTV footage, police surveillance, victim identification and analysis of the fraud methods used.

Police said the inquiry helped identify and break up five groups with a high level of offending. These included a five-person group linked to up to 18% of the incidents under review in one month, a ten-person group based in an occupied building in Santa Coloma de Gramenet, and another group active in Barcelona, Terrassa and Manresa. Other cases involved a subgroup of 35 people, a group of four women using mobile POS devices, and one lone offender linked to significant losses over several months.

The operation forms part of the Kanpai Plan, which has been applied across Catalonia and adapted for Barcelona’s bus network. According to the council, investigations started in late November led to a 40.7% fall in criminal incidents in the first quarter of 2026 compared with the same period in 2025, from an average of 605 to 359 crimes a month. The council also said 91.5% of detected crimes in 2026 were thefts, while 3.3% were robberies with violence or intimidation and 2.2% were frauds. News