A Civil Guard operation in the provinces of A Coruña and Ourense resulted in the detention of four individuals who formed a criminal group focused on sexual blackmail. Investigators say the group operated as an organized network and presented one member as the leader. The case began after a complaint from a woman in A Coruña who reported being deceived by a former partner who acted as a money mule. This complaint sparked the amaurus operation, an investigation that aimed to uncover the structure and methods of the group.
In the course of the inquiry, the A Coruna unit identified several victims connected to the network, including individuals in Salamanca, Talavera de la Reina, and Tomelloso. Authorities established that the victims had been contacted and drawn into the scheme by means of online interactions with a person presenting as a woman associated with the group and involved in intimate disclosures, which never materialized as promised.
Following these contacts, victims received threatening messages and threatening phone calls that referenced firearms and implied violence. The criminals demanded large sums of money in compensation for the time they claimed to have lost to the supposed relationship, and for the service of the group’s leader. The coercive pressure continued, and victims were told that failure to pay would lead to intensified threats against themselves and their families. The pattern showed a deliberate use of fear to extract payments and to maintain control over the victims.
Despite the pressure, some victims complied with the demands, paying sums under duress. However, the threats persisted, escalating to higher amounts and broader intimidation. Based on the information released by the Civil Guard, four members of the organization were arrested, with authorities confirming the existence of a criminal group responsible for ongoing extortion through sexual blackmail.
The arrests were carried out in Ferrol, Oleiros, and Teixeiro in the A Coruña region, and in O Carballiño in Ourense. An international arrest warrant had been issued for the alleged leader of the group, who had fled to the Dominican Republic, his country of origin. The Armed Institute notes that three of the detainees share a history of similar acts of sexual coercion and blackmail, reinforcing the pattern of predatory behavior across multiple cases.