The National Police have smashed a huge burglar ring, arresting a total of 42 people in Madrid and Tarragona today and confiscating over six kilos of jewellery, which had been buried in bags in a garden, and 200,000 euros in cash, most of it in 500 euro notes.

The burglars, including the ringleader based in Reus, have been formally accused of 90 separate crimes, but it is believed that they could have been responsible for over 500.

The operation, nicknamed 'Yugoslavia' because all those arrested are romany gipsies from countries that once made up the former Yugoslavia - Sebia, Croatia, Montenegro, etc., remains open, but has already resulted in the detention of 24 men and 18 women.  More than 30 children living with the gang have been taken to a social services centre for minors.

Most of the burglaries carried out by the clan have been on homes with little or no security, and in most cases a simple credit card or x-ray plastic was used to open the door.  In almost every case, the burglaries were carried out by the women, who were driven to and from the target property by other members of the group and during the day when most properties are empty because people are either at work or taking their children to and from school.

The police began their operation at the beginning of the year and struck on Monday when one of the gang members went from Madrid to Reus to sell stolen jewellery.

Apart from jewellery and cash, the police have also confiscated 30 cars, seven motorhomes and a number of false documents.

Police believe that the gang arrived in Spain at the end of last year and that they could be responsible for a number of robberies in Italy, France and Portugal too.