Operation Run from Abandoned School

The trial of 22 individuals linked to a Georgian criminal network begins Tuesday at the Barcelona Court, following allegations they coordinated a series of burglaries from the abandoned Menéndez Pidal school in the Horta-Guinardó district. The building, previously used as a filming location for the TV3 series 'Merli', had been illegally occupied after the school closed. Between May 2018 and April 2019, the group allegedly operated a structured theft ring, responsible for 23 burglaries in Barcelona and nearby towns. According to the Public Prosecutor's Office, the defendants worked under a 'conscientious division of roles', forming three-member 'crews' to target apartments while others acted as lookouts, lock specialists, or getaway personnel.

Code of Conduct and Internal Discipline

The organisation followed the 'thief of law' code, a hierarchical system within post-Soviet organised crime that enforces strict loyalty and obedience. Within the occupied school, located behind Vall d'Hebron Hospital, the group maintained a common criminal fund known as an 'obschack', where proceeds from thefts were recorded by hand and redistributed to support members or send money abroad. The prosecution claims the gang used sophisticated methods to identify and breach properties. They studied building layouts, noted lock types, and used non-damaging techniques such as the 'X-ray' method, sliding a rigid plastic tool between the door and frame to lift the latch. Other methods included 'parrot's beak' cylinder breaking, 'ramping', and false keys.

Target Selection and Surveillance

To avoid detection, the gang marked apartment doors with transparent plastic or toothpicks, returning hours later to check if the markers remained, thereby learning residents' routines. They favoured large apartment blocks to reduce suspicion and walked separately in public, maintaining distance on metro and train journeys. Some stolen goods were transported to Georgia for resale. The Mossos d'Esquadra and National Police conducted major operations in April and May 2019 to clear the school, arresting and identifying dozens during the eviction.

Primary sources: Departament d'Interior. Reported by elperiodico.com, El Periódico Barcelona.