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Seven ‘Casuals’ Avoid Prison After Admitting Extortion of Two Catalan Businessmen

The court suspended the terms after guilty pleas backed by €135,000 in restitution.

Overview

  • Barcelona’s provincial court imposed sentences ranging from three years to three months but ordered suspension if the defendants do not reoffend for three years and pay court-ordered fines.
  • The ruling bars all seven from contacting the victims or approaching them within 1,000 meters for four years.
  • Prosecutors said the group extracted at least €30,000 and a Ferrari Testarossa, which was concealed in a dealership and sold in May 2023 for about €140,000.
  • Two principal defendants received three-year terms for extortion, four others were convicted of receiving stolen goods, and a seventh as an accomplice, with leader Francisco “Paco el Gordo” Pérez among those sentenced.
  • Restitution totaling €135,000 was consigned for the victims—€120,000 to the businessman in Lliçà de Vall and €15,000 to the one in Vilanova i la Geltrú—within a case tied to the Mossos’ broader ‘Hydra’ operation.