Civil Guard Uncovers Electricity Theft Ring Involving Five Girona Supermarkets
Girona, โCatalonia – the Civil Guardโค has revealed a scheme in which five supermarkets in the province of โฃGirona were โคillegally โsiphoning electricity, โฃcontributing to a surge in electrical fraud across Catalonia and Spain. The investigation, ongoing as late 2023, highlights a growing โฃtrend โคof elegant energy theft impacting businesses and consumers alike.
Electrical fraud in Spain is escalating, driven by factors ranging fromโข illicit marijuana cultivation to deliberate theft by established businesses. In 2023, Endesa detected an average of 44 daily instances of electrical manipulation in Catalonia alone, totaling 16,096โ cases and 356 GWh of โdefrauded energy – enough to power a city the size โขof Manresa for a year. Nationally, reported cases have risen 33% in early 2024, reaching approximately 200 incidents per day, or 71,000 total. While over 30% of these fraudsโ are linked to illegal marijuana farms, authorities โฃare increasingly finding evidence of theft in diverse commercial establishments.
the civil Guard’s investigation focused on the Girona supermarkets after detecting anomalies in energy consumption patterns. Details of the specific methods used to โฃsteal electricity have not โbeen released, butโฃ authorities confirm the fraudulent activity was significant enough to warrant criminal charges. this case underscores the increasing professionalization of electrical fraud and the economic impact of these crimes, which โultimately translate to higher costs for legitimateโค energy consumers.Endesa and other energy providers are deploying artificial intelligence and advanced technologies to detect and โcombat theseโข increasingly complex schemes.
