Disarticulated a criminal organization dedicated to falsify documents to introduce migrants in Spain irregularly
132 people have been investigated and more than 200 fraudulent Spanish residence card applications have been detected
The Civil Guard, in the framework of Operation Klan-TF II, has dismantled a criminal network dedicated to forge documents to obtain Spanish residence cards. In order to do so, they falsified the proof of remittances to the countries of origin of the interested parties, especially Cuba and Venezuela, since according to current regulations, a person with a Spanish DNI can request the reunification in Spain of their relatives who live in countries of South America, if it shows that these relatives depend economically on him.
The investigation was initiated after having knowledge, through the unique office of foreigners of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, of the existence of files of applications of cards of Spanish residence that could contain falsified documents between the documentation demanded to the interested parties, mainly justifying of sending money that could be fake.
For this reason, the agents analyzed more than 220 Spanish residence card application files and, after consulting the different money remittance companies operating in Spain at an international level, it was found that the supporting documents provided were false, ie , that this money never really came to be sent.
They located and investigated 132 people who had presented these proofs of sending counterfeit money to apply for the residence card of their relatives, some of them arriving to present the same justifications for four different relatives.
They falsified the receipts using blank receipts
Several booths, located in the islands of Tenerife and La Palma, acted as authorized agents of different money transfer companies operating in Spain and forged these receipts, using blank receipts available in their own establishments.
The final proof of this falsification was obtained after contacting the central offices of the money remittance companies that had allegedly been used by these authorized agents (booths) to send the money, which proved that these shipments were never formalized, among others. reasons, because most people, supposedly senders, did not even appear as their clients.
This counterfeiting activity generated a source of extra income for the locutorios involved, since they saw a business in need of those interested to bring their families to Spain from countries such as Cuba or Venezuela, charging them a variable amount according to the number of falsified documents. required.
For this reason, several registrations were carried out in three booths in the towns of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, San Cristobal de La Laguna and Las Galletas where, after analyzing the computers located in the counters of the establishments and paper documentation, they were obtained the necessary proofs that accredited that such booths were carrying out those work of falsification.
The investigators detected that this system of falsification had spread through the Cuban community (and to a lesser extent Venezuelan) through the "word of mouth" with such speed that in a period of a few months, it was already known throughout the island. of Tenerife.
The operation has been carried out by agents belonging to the Judicial Police Organic Unit (UOPJ) of the Civil Guard Command of Tenerife, who have collaborated with the unique immigration office of Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
For more information you can contact the Press Office of the Civil Guard in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, at 696 94 30 09 and 922 67 16 52.
