Joint Operation Exposes a Canary Islands Crime Network Involving Fraud, Document Forgery, and Immigrant Trafficking
A coordinated action undertaken with the National Police Service, often referred to locally as the Civil Guard, led to the dismantling of a Gran Canaria based crime group. The investigation indicates the group may have provided immigrants with fraudulent documents to enable travel to the Spanish peninsula or to other European Union states. Among those using the network, a substantial number of minors were identified because the operatives supplied false age indications and arranged stays at a children’s facility prior to boarding flights.
Seven individuals were taken into custody, six in Gran Canaria and one in Ciudad Real, and face charges for alleged membership in a criminal organization along with offenses related to the rights of foreign nationals and document forgery. A seventh member remains detained for an unrelated reason, while another person associated with the organization faces similar accusations.
The operation involved the seizure of three addresses and the seizure of items tied to fraud, including forged official documents, files, and mobile devices used to manage the status of irregular migrants.
The organization reportedly operated by trafficking immigrants who arrived on the islands by small boats, including people from Maghreb regions. Survivals of this scheme were held at different locations, with forged papers prepared and the necessary infrastructure created to facilitate their onward movement. Upon reception, individuals were directed to various ports and airports in the Canary Islands, and explicit instructions were issued to evade authorities. In some cases, individuals linked to the network accompanied travelers during sea or air journeys to ensure the return of documents as required.
Investigators found that the group maintained persistent ties with criminal networks based in Morocco and other EU member states. Their activities included organizing freight transport by sea from Morocco to the Canary Islands for African migrants, and they diversified into orchestrating fraudulent asylum claims with the involvement of a lawyer implicated in criminal activities.
During the operation, investigators documented more than 80 individual trips organized by the network across the archipelago, yielding profits estimated at over 100,000 euros. These figures point to a structured enterprise that leveraged multiple points of vulnerability in migration and asylum processes to sustain its revenue stream.
Authorities stressed that the investigation remains ongoing as officers continue to map the full extent of the network’s operations, identify additional victims, and dismantle any remaining infrastructure that supports this form of organized crime. The case highlights the complexity of human smuggling schemes and the critical need for rigorous document verification, border controls, and international cooperation to protect migrants and uphold the integrity of asylum procedures. Source: Law enforcement reports and official statements from the National Police Service and regional authorities.