The operation of the National Police resulted in 29 detainees: nine members of the gang and about twenty clients
The National Police dismantled a criminal organization allegedly dedicated to forging the cards of asylum seekers. The network charged users 300 euros on average for each falsified document. The agents detained 29 people, of which nine of them were members of the organization and were arrested in the provinces of Madrid and Barcelona for the crimes of belonging to a criminal organization, falsifying documents and favoring irregular immigration. The other 20 were clients and were arrested in Huelva, Almería, the Region of Murcia and Zaragoza for the crime of falsifying documents. Likewise, the agents have made four entries and searches in the towns of Alcorcón, Móstoles and Madrid.
The National Police had already arrested several members of the organization for similar acts carried out a few years earlier. Specifically, three of those involved had different arrests for false documents.
The National Police calculated that the organization would have produced more than 700 false documents in the last four years, which would imply that the benefits obtained could exceed 200,000 euros.
In this context, the structure of the criminal network was divided into two different branches, both based in the province of Madrid. First, the organization provided the falsified documents to its clients through face-to-face appointments, if they were near Madrid, or through postal mail or parcel agencies otherwise.
The members of one of the organization’s branches were people of sub-Saharan origin, nationals of Nigeria, Mali and the Ivory Coast, in charge of distributing the cards among the migrants. On the other hand, the main person in charge of the other faction is a male of Colombian origin who distributed the falsified documents among people of South American origin.
When carrying out paperwork
In this sense, the investigation began when falsified asylum seeker documents were detected presented by the migrants themselves to carry out various procedures, such as registering with Social Security or identifying themselves before the police and administrative authorities.
The agents intervened a total of 39 false documents, 27 of which were asylum seeker cards, eight foreigner identification cards, two Guinean passports and two driving licenses. 3,700 euros in cash, a PVC card printer, 17 mobile phones, two laptops, three electronic tablets and documentation related to the investigation were also intervened.
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