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The man considered by the police to be the mastermind behind Los Dalton, a family of bank robbers from Malaga styled after the outlaw brothers featured in films, comics and a television series, has once again appeared in the dock alongside a cousin. This time it is for the robbery of a Bankinter branch on Avenida de Andalucía in April last year. David L L, nicknamed 'El Oreja' (the ear), admitted to carrying a fake pistol, which he used to intimidate staff and customers. However, he said he was "unwell" and suffering from drug "withdrawal symptoms" at the time. He claimed that before police officers entered the branch, he had "a moment of lucidity" and gave himself up.
The emergency services received a call alerting them that a robbery was in progress at the bank mid-morning on 19 April 2024. Two Local Police officers responded to the call and, on arrival, took a look through the window of the branch. They saw a woman inside running to hide in an office while signalling to them. They also saw two employees who looked frightened and were also waving at them, so they decided to enter the bank. Numerous Local and National Police officers had already surrounded the bank branch.
It is clear from the police account that the defendants had no way out. The robbers themselves declared before the court in Malaga on Monday that they had repented, got rid of the "disguises" they were wearing and laid on the floor until the police entered.
Although David has admitted to having "flashbacks" of that day, he explained that he was feeling unwell because he "needed to use (drugs)" and ended up meeting his cousin. "I asked him to treat me, but he said he didn’t have anything, so we looked for a solution to continue using," he said. He explained that to achieve this he used a modified "blank pistol" made of "iron" and "without ammunition", which a friend from Seville had given him "a long time ago". He brandished it upon entering the bank to intimidate the employees, but he did not use "excessive violence". "The poor employees were scared as soon as they saw me pull out the weapon," he added.
When they entered the bank branch, the pair hung up a note saying "office out of service". According to his testimony, his cousin, Alejandro L C, stayed to keep watch over the people in one of the rooms, while he "wandered around" looking for money. In total, he managed to get his hands on more than 70,000 euros. However, at that moment, and "amid so many people", he said that he felt bad and decided to remove his mask and discard the weapon.
Alejandro, for his part, claimed that on the day of the events, he was "in a bad way" and had "lost his mind" because his wife and parents had died. With four daughters to care for and a disability, he explained that he was spending around 200 or 300 euros a day on cocaine, and that the robbery happened spontaneously to fund his addiction. However, they ended up surrendering out of remorse.
The public prosecutor's office is requesting a sentence of three and a half years in prison for each of the accused who have been remanded in custody for their alleged involvement in a crime of robbery with violence.
David's profile is not that of a typical bank robber: he studied law and is a fan of reading and contact sports. However, according to those who know him, what he loves above all is being a “bon vivant”: he enjoyed trendy restaurants, expensive hotels, and trips to paradise-like destinations. One source added: "I don’t even think he does it for the money."
His criminal record began when he was still a minor and includes around ten convictions. The last incident dates back to 25 February 2019, when he was caught, along with part of the gang, in a joint operation by the National Police and Mossos d'Esquadra regional police force in Catalonia, which resulted in 13 arrests.
In November 2020, David, his brother, and two accomplices were sentenced to four years in prison - after a plea agreement - for robbing a Bankinter branch in Marbella, which they had accessed beforehand by making a hole in the wall. Once inside, they pointed a starter pistol at five bank employees, demanding the alarm code and that they open the safe. The frightened employees complied and placed the money from the safe into plastic bags. They made off with more than 214,000 euros.
After escaping from the bank, they used an angle grinder to try to open several safety deposit boxes taken from the bank. They succeeded with one of them and seized an additional 50,000 euros in cash, one Omega and two Patek Philippe watches, and various pieces of jewellery, valued at 117,000 euros.
David and his brother hid part of the stolen money and jewellery in a property in Cártama owned by their parents. The haul was hidden inside a beach cooler and two metal chests. The police also found around 60,000 euros in cash from robberies.
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