Guardia Civil officers in the Costa del Sol have dismantled an active, highly mobile criminal gang specialising in stealing valuable belongings from parked cars. Investigators arrested three gang members who allegedly targeted busy supermarket and shopping centre car parks across Malaga, Mijas, Marbella and Manilva. The police operation successfully put an end to a crime spree that had caused frustration and upset among local residents and tourists.

Victims regularly reported their vehicles had been raided without any physical signs of forced entry, despite being certain they had locked their doors correctly when they left them to go shopping. Officers from the Mijas Guardia Civil headquarters launched a detailed inquiry after noticing a sudden increase in theft reports in these specific shopping centre car parks.

Coordination and clever wrapping techniques

Gang members worked in a highly coordinated manner to access these unsuspecting targets. One individual would watch out for potential victims returning to their cars while a second accomplice used sophisticated electronic frequency jammers to block remote key signals, leaving the vehicles completely unlocked. This method allowed them to slip inside the cars without attracting attention.

Suspects then entered the unlocked cars, quickly stealing valuable items like laptops, tablets, mobile phones, sunglasses, luxury watches, and designer handbags. They tried to avoid detection by wrapping these stolen electronic items in kitchen aluminium foil before sending them away using standard postal courier services. This foil wrapping was intended to block GPS tracking signals.

Recovered items returned to rightful owners

Police tracking efforts eventually led to the successful identification and arrest of all three suspects. Investigators have now charged the trio with seven counts of theft, membership of an organised criminal group, and forging official documents.

Officers recovered numerous stolen electronics, luxury watches, and designer handbags during the raid, which have now been returned to their original owners. This successful police action has put an end to an incredibly elusive and technologically advanced theft ring.

For many foreign residents in Spain, one of the biggest worries during an immigration application is the fear of receiving a refusal because of something in their past. A new ruling from the Spanish Supreme Court could make an important difference in some of those cases. The court has decided that the authorities cannot automatically refuse certain residence permits or family reunification applications simply because the applicant has a criminal record when protected family rights are involved.

The judgment, made public on Monday, July 13, leaves most of Spain’s new Immigration Regulation (Reglamento de Extranjería) intact, but it also redraws the line on several issues affecting families, children and foreign nationals living in Spain. While the ruling does not remove criminal records from the immigration process, it does require officials to look at the circumstances of each case instead of applying an automatic refusal.

For thousands of families already living in Spain, or hoping to reunite here, that distinction could prove significant.

What has actually changed?

Much of the attention has focused on one part of the judgment.

Under the new Immigration Regulation, some residence applications could be rejected simply because the applicant had a criminal record. The Supreme Court has now ruled that this approach cannot be applied automatically in cases involving family reunification or other situations where protected family rights or European Union rights are at stake.

That does not mean a criminal record no longer matters.

Instead, immigration authorities must now assess each application individually before making a decision.

In practice, that means officials will have to consider the wider circumstances rather than relying on a single factor. The existence of previous convictions remains relevant, but it can no longer be the only reason for refusing an application where important family rights are involved.

For applicants, that offers something many immigration cases have lacked in the past: the opportunity for their personal situation to be properly examined.

Every case will still be decided on its own facts, but the process should now involve a fuller assessment instead of an automatic administrative decision.

Children are at the centre of several other changes

The judgment goes much further than family reunification.

Several parts of the regulation affecting foreign children have also been struck down after the court concluded they failed to give enough weight to the best interests of the child, a principle recognised in both Spanish and international law.

One example concerns children who were married.

The previous rule could prevent certain residence authorisations from being granted simply because a minor was married. The Supreme Court considered that approach incompatible with protecting vulnerable children.

The judges specifically noted that such a restriction could end up harming young people who had been forced into marriage rather than protecting them.

Another change affects children who were born in Spain.

The court removed restrictions that could disadvantage minors who had temporarily left the country for justified reasons. According to the ruling, those departures should not automatically prevent them from accessing certain residence permits.

The judges also examined situations involving guardianship and child protection arrangements established outside Spain.

Until now, some families encountered difficulties because those protective measures had not been created under Spanish law.

The Supreme Court ruled that Spain must recognise child protection measures adopted by foreign authorities whenever international agreements require it to do so.

For families who have already gone through legal procedures abroad before moving to Spain, that could remove an obstacle that previously complicated residence applications.

Most of Spain’s immigration reform remains unchanged

Although several provisions have been cancelled, the court has not overturned the government’s immigration reform.

In fact, the judges expressly supported what they described as the regulation’s general structure.

That means the new framework introduced by the government largely remains in place, including the updated rules on arraigo, which provide different pathways for certain foreign nationals to regularise their immigration status after meeting specific legal requirements.

The ruling also leaves unchanged the provisions affecting people seeking international protection that were included in the new regulation.

In other words, this is not a complete rewrite of Spain’s immigration system.

Instead, the Supreme Court has identified specific parts of the regulation that it believes went beyond what the law allows, particularly where family life and children’s rights are concerned.

What does this mean if you’re applying for residence in Spain?

For anyone currently preparing an immigration application, the judgment is worth understanding, but it should not be misunderstood.

It does not create an automatic right to residence. It does not erase criminal records and it does not guarantee that family reunification applications will now be approved.

What it does is require immigration authorities to make a more careful assessment in certain situations.

If family unity, the rights of a child or rights linked to European Union law are involved, officials must now look at the whole picture before reaching a decision.

That may sound like a technical legal point, but for many families it could have practical consequences.

Immigration decisions often shape where parents and children live, whether families remain together and whether someone can build a future in Spain. The Supreme Court’s judgment recognises that those decisions should not always depend on a single administrative criterion.

The ruling also reflects a broader principle that runs throughout Spanish and European law: family life deserves particular protection, especially when children are involved.

For foreign nationals already living in Spain, or planning to move here with relatives, the decision provides greater legal clarity. The immigration rules themselves have not been rewritten, but the way some of the most sensitive applications must be examined has changed.

From now on, where protected family rights are at stake, each case must be judged on its own circumstances rather than by applying an automatic refusal from the outset.

Those who jet off regularly to the Canary Islands can breathe easy after quick-thinking airport crews stopped a runaway Ryanair wheel in its tracks on Saturday night. Staff at Cesar Manrique–Lanzarote sprang into action with service vehicles to corral the rogue tyre before any trouble started, carefully making sure flights continued without a hitch. Frequent travellers from the UK or elsewhere appreciate such a quick response that maintains confidence in holiday connections many rely on year-round.

A runaway wheel leaves mouths wide open on social media

Videos shared widely captured the tyre trundling across the airport platform area late on July 11. Airport operator Aena confirmed it came from a Ryanair aircraft yet stressed no disruption hit operations at the busy spot. But they would, wouldn’t they?

Workers moved fast to prevent contact with other planes, vehicles or people nearby, one quick-thinking airport worker racing after the errant wheel in a van, and literally playing football with the wheel to dribble it back to where it should be. Local webcam footage described the moment as pure slapstick, and many viewers agreed it felt more like a comedy sketch than serious drama. But shouldn’t we be concerned?

El momento en el que un neumático de la compañía Ryanair atraviesa parte de la zona operativa del aeropuerto de Lanzarote durante este fin de semana. El suceso hizo que varios vehículos de trabajadores del aeropuerto se movilizaran para evitar que la goma siguiera rodando, aunque… pic.twitter.com/FjTdgpIJZk

— RTVC (@RTVCes) July 13, 2026

Other aircraft parts that took surprise trips this year

British Airways saw one of its Airbus A350 main landing gear wheels drop shortly after leaving Las Vegas back in January. The crew completed the long haul to London Heathrow smoothly with passengers none the wiser until later reports emerged. Similar events stay rare but grab attention when they occur, quite naturally. Aviation experts say modern planes handle such losses well thanks to robust engineering and multiple backup systems on landing gear.

Safety measures reassure regular flyers

Expats planning more trips to the islands can get a little extra peace of mind from these stories. Authorities investigate every case thoroughly while airlines keep strong maintenance schedules. Passengers continue boarding flights in normal numbers because incidents like the Lanzarote wheel rarely lead to bigger problems…. We hope!

Ground teams across Europe train precisely for unexpected events and prove their value time after time. Travellers from international destinations enjoy convenient routes without letting occasional bizarre moments spoil the excitement of getting away. Everyone involved at Lanzarote deserves credit for turning potential chaos into harmless entertainment that still goes to show how safely air travel runs day in day out.