Joint operation of the Tax Agency and the National Police

• 136 documents were intercepted, including driving licences, passports or identity documents showing nationalities from different European countries.
• The arrested people contacted the counterfeiters through social networks and instant messaging, setting a price of between 1,000 and 3,000 euros per document and shipping date to Spain.

May 18, 2023.- Customs Surveillance officials of the Tax Agency, in a joint operation with agents of the National Police, have arrested 64 people and intercepted 136 false documents with a high level of professionalism.

The documents were driving licenses, passports or identity cards, all with European nationality to be able to travel within the Schengen area without difficulty.

There are 64 detainees throughout Spain. Potential clients contacted the counterfeiters through social media and instant messaging, setting a price between 1,000 and 3,000 euros per document and shipping date to Spain. They are charged with crimes of smuggling, falsification of documents and violations of the rights of foreign citizens by promoting illegal immigration.

The investigation was initiated by the Tax Agency's Customs Surveillance Service, within the framework of its controls on parcel shipments from abroad, which had been selected using risk analysis techniques.

Officials detect shipments with falsified documentation, so they contact the National Police's Athens Point to verify the falsification of the intercepted documents.

Acquisition of documentation through social networks

National Police officers checked various types of documents. The forgeries included identity documents, passports and driving licences with different European nationalities in order to be able to travel within the Schengen area without difficulty. In total, 136 documents with a high level of professionalization were detected.

During the investigation, it was discovered that the 'clients' contacted the foreign counterfeiters through various social networks and instant messaging where they set a price according to the document they requested, since passports that had border stamps were more expensive because they believed that these gave them greater credibility at border crossings. The price therefore ranged between 1,000 and 3,000 euros. Through the same channels they also arranged the date for sending the passports to Spain.

64 people have been arrested: 24 in Madrid; 7 in Huelva; 7 in Barcelona; 5 in Granada; 4 in Alicante; 4 in Las Palmas; 2 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife; 2 in Cadiz; 2 in Melilla; 2 in Leon; 1 in Almeria; 1 in Pontevedra; 1 in Cordoba; 1 in Lugo; and 1 in Jaén. They are charged with smuggling, falsification of documents and violations of the rights of foreign citizens by facilitating illegal immigration.

Within the Central Unit against Illegal Immigration Networks and Document Forgery, there is the Punto Atenas, which acts as a 'call center' for quick consultations by agents of the National Police or any other police cooperation.