Five Amazon warehouse employees in Spain arrested after allegedly stealing €500,000 in iPhones

We’ve heard about plenty of theft rings in the past, many of which target high-profile Apple devices to make a quick buck on the side.

And today we have news of yet another, this one located in Madrid, Spain. That’s according to a report from iPadizate (via Cult of Mac), which states that five employees from an Amazon warehouse in Madrid were arrested for allegedly stealing iPhones. The report states that the current total for the theft is upwards of €500,000 when it’s all said and done.

The allegations still need to be proved in court, and there’s no word on when that process will be finished.

The process of stealing the iPhones is an interesting one, though. iPadizate says that the five warehouse employees were working with outside accomplices. Those accomplices would order something relatively inexpensive from Amazon, and then one of the warehouse workers would put an iPhone inside the box on the sly.

Amazon caught the offending practice when it was determined that many packages being sent out didn’t have the correct weight. So warehouse managers put up hidden cameras within the facility to catch any transgressions in the act. That apparently warranted the Spanish police to make an appearance and dole out arrests.

The report notes that the group had 10 iPhones on them when they were arrested. At the time of publication it doesn’t appear that the accomplices have been arrested in connection with the theft ring.

These theft rings crop up from time to time, and usually it’s a lot of money on the line.