Cemeteries have become the target of gangs of thieves who look for the bronze from the graves – crucifixes and side handles – to give them a quick outlet on the black market of scrap yards and waste management centers. Although the price of bronze is … lower than what is paid for copper – it has appreciated more than 30 percent in the last year in the illegal market -, it is still a valued metal for which you can get between four and seven euros per kilo depending on the price. demand.
This explains the wave of robberies that have been detected in cemeteries in the province of Toledo in recent weeks. The latest case occurred in the town of Torrijos, with 13,000 inhabitants, where the friends of others have torn off 134 crucifixes. The city council of this municipality has reported it to the Civil Guard and has encouraged the affected families to do the same. Other towns in this province such as Lagartera, Cebolla, Lucillos, Erustes, Alberche or Gamonal have suffered the same problem recently.
In Cebolla, where the thieves took 87 crucifixes, the Local Police and the Civil Guard have viewed the six security cameras distributed throughout the town but, so far, there have been no arrests. In Erustes, where 31 crucifixes have disappeared, the criminals have gone ahead since the city council planned to install security cameras in the cemetery. In most cases, according to researchers, thieves access cemeteries through secondary and little-traveled roads to avoid being seen.
coveted metal
If criminal gangs have recently chosen to steal bronze from graves, it is because accessing the cemeteries, located on the outskirts of the municipalities, is relatively easy and, above all, because of the rapid release of this metal on the black market. Bronze – an alloy of copper and tin, although it can also contain aluminum, nickel or zinc – is considered a very versatile metal that stands out for its conductivity, its resistance to corrosion and friction, its durability and its characteristic golden color.
That is why it is widely used in the automobile and construction industries and in the decoration sector. Its value changes depending on the purity of the material, the international prices that mark its quotation on the London Metal Exchange and the demand that exists at any given time. Currently, its price is so attractive that criminal groups have chosen cemeteries for their attacks.
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