A man has been arrested following a dramatic forty-kilometre police chase after the alleged theft of mandarins from a farm in San Javier.

The incident began at around 10.50pm on Monday, when Local Police were alerted to a possible fruit theft near Los Arcos del Mar Menor University Hospital. Officers attempting to investigate encountered a grey Renault Megane travelling at speed in the opposite direction. When they tried to block the road, the driver accelerated, forcing them to move aside.

Police say the pursuit continued for around forty kilometres towards Murcia, with speeds reaching nearly 200 km/h. At one point, the driver allegedly switched off the vehicle’s lights in an attempt to evade patrols. The chase ended in Beniaján, where officers from Murcia’s Special Citizen Security Group intercepted the car.

Around 80 kilos of mandarins and three empty sacks were found inside. The man was arrested on suspicion of robbery with force and taken to El Carmen police station. Two other individuals believed to be linked to the theft fled from the farm. Part of the recovered fruit has been returned, with the remainder held at Mercamurcia.