Civil Guard representatives in the central operating unit are currently monitoring a garage in Villacarrillo, Jaén. CASE OPEN has learned that Abraham Diouf, a 32-year-old Senegalese migrant, disappeared while helping with olives in the village on January 5, 2021.
A friend of the temporary worker later said the young man vanished under puzzling circumstances after being with his employer during the olive harvest. Diouf reportedly told fellow workers that he planned to quit his job and travel with his partner to Cartaya, Huelva, where he had previously picked oranges. Yet he never boarded the bus, and no trace of him appeared at his intended destination.
Senegalese colleagues say the last person seen with Diouf before he disappeared was his employer, Ginés Vicente, a 53-year-old businessman who runs a four-hectare olive farm on the outskirts of Villacarrillo. Vicente has a troubling record, including another case of a young African worker who vanished in 2013 after a dispute over working conditions, and whose family never heard from him again.
Quarrel with the boss
At present, Civil Guard investigators are inspecting Vicente’s garage for evidence that could link Diouf to the disappearance. Judicial sources indicate the case is treated as a matter in summary secrecy by the Villacarrillo 1st Investigation Court, with the UCO leading the inquiry. The unit has previously solved other complex missing person cases and continues to pursue new leads, as reported by local authorities. The investigation is ongoing with witnesses and material records being reviewed.
Eight years earlier, another migrant worker, Tidiany Coulibaly from Mali, disappeared while working at the same farm. He was part of a broader pattern of migrant labor in the region, with more workers arriving from Africa during the olive season. Coulibaly, 22, reportedly argued with his employer over wages before vanishing, and authorities later uncovered irregularities in how workers were paid and registered. [Source: investigative records]
As established by the Jaén Tribunal, Coulibaly and colleagues were paid between 20 and 30 euros per day, well below the regional minimum wage. Deductions for damaged equipment were applied, and several workers appeared to be undocumented or unregistered, highlighting ongoing labor rights concerns in seasonal agriculture in the area.
Here is the linked note about Coulibaly’s case: a headset belonging to the worker was found elsewhere on the farm run by the employer.
Headphones with DNA traces
Following the meeting with the boss, Coulibaly’s family and friends reported him missing. Civil Guard investigators later arrested Ginés Vicente after discovering a daily worker’s headset bearing DNA traces. The headset was found on a four-hectare olive farm on the outskirts of Villanueva del Arzobispo, Jaén, where seasonal workers were reportedly assigned minimal tasks. On the day Coulibaly disappeared, the employer’s mobile phone placed him in that vicinity. A search dog named Elton contributed to the investigation, with remains and other evidence located near olive trees at the farm and close to where the worker’s earplugs had been found.
The dog Elton helped investigators focus on a key area of the farm on the first day of the disappearance of the initial migrant worker.
The businessman faced multiple charges, including alleged exploitation of workers, several offenses against labor rights, and possible violations of public health. Authorities also found illegal possession, including marijuana, on some properties tied to the case. Before the trial, prosecutors sought prison terms. Vicente faced accusations of pressuring witnesses to lie and other coercive acts, allegations he denied, claiming he was being unjustly targeted. A court decision later addressed these claims as part of a broader ruling.
“Here is my black”
In a media interview weeks before the court issued its sentence, the accused voiced controversial remarks about the case and race. He suggested that he would be punished due to prior convictions and offered reflections on the perception of African workers involved in the matter. He argued that workers might travel with little support and that some in his circle could be in difficult circumstances, while others benefited from the labor market. He stated that the Civil Guard confronted him with accusations about the most vulnerable workers and claimed that his status as a business owner complicated the narrative.
Ultimately, the court found the employer guilty of exploiting and harassing workers, confirming that some workers were undocumented and faced language barriers that impeded understanding. The Jaén Court also found Ginés Vicente guilty of obstruction of justice but acquitted him of kidnapping due to insufficient evidence.