Spanish Police have arrested 40 people in an operation against the promotion of illegal immigration and documentary falsification
The dismantled organization offered different modalities to obtain proof of a family link between a sponsor – natural from Ghana but already a national of the EU or EEA – and one or more foreigners in an irregular situation
For this, they offered various services such as fictitious registrations for 300 euros, birth certificates for 1,600, applications for arraigo for 7,500 and even an adoption “pack” -which included a regrouping procedure along with a false passport- for 9,000 euros
The agents estimate a profit of more than 100,000 euros for their criminal activity by regularizing more than 130 regrouped fraudulently
The Spanish National Police have dismantled a criminal organization allegedly dedicated to promoting illegal immigration and document falsification. It is estimated that they have obtained a profit of more than 100,000 euros for their criminal activity by regularizing more than 130 regrouped fraudulently. During the investigation, international collaboration with Ghana, through the Spanish Attaché Office in that country, has been essential to ensure the falsity of the documents used by the criminal group.
Activity of the organization in Spain and Europe
The investigation began eleven months ago in Malaga when the agents became aware of a network dedicated to promoting illegal immigration. The agents verified that it was an international criminal organization, with a structure established in Spain by operating in different provinces and localities within the national territory, and whose activity was aimed at promoting the illegal trafficking of sub-Saharan citizens, not only in Spain but also in Europe.
After several steps it was found that the reunifiers were nationals of various European countries – Germany, Austria, the United Kingdom, Italy, Belgium and the Netherlands – although they carried out the procedures in national territory. The organization fraudulently accredited the family bond between a reunited person of Ghanaian origin, although also a member of a state of the European Union or the European Economic Area, and one or more regrouped persons, aliens in an irregular situation posing as their spouse, domestic partner or by their children.
Profits of more than 100,000 euros have been calculated, taking into account the concepts of the amounts charged for the procedures carried out to carry out the criminal activity. The amount of 300 euros was charged for carrying out false registrations, 1,600 euros for the processing of birth certificates, 7,500 euros for applications for arraigo and 9,000 euros for an adoption “pack” that included the fictitious regrouping process. the falsification of the passport.
Police investigation
The police investigation, which began thanks to the collaboration of the Immigration Office of the Government Subdelegation in Malaga when an unusual number of unusual administrative procedures were detected in relation to Ghanaian nationals, has been carried out in two phases and culminated in six domiciliary searches in Madrid, Malaga and Zaragoza and seizure of 9,000 euros, computer material and documents of interest for the investigation.
On the occasion of the first phase, 19 people were arrested for crimes against the rights of foreign citizens, belonging to a criminal organization and document falsification in the provinces of Madrid, Malaga, Valencia, Murcia and Zaragoza. The second phase has culminated in the arrest of 21 people for benefiting from the crime of documentary falsification in the provinces of Madrid, Malaga and Zaragoza.
