Join on WhatsApp
Join on Telegram
Rabat – Spanish police dismantled a network that specialized in enacting fraudulent marriages between Spanish citizens and Moroccans who want residency in the country.
The network had been operating in Alicante and Murcia since 2017, leading police to arrest 129 members of the network. Over 70 fake marriages were discovered through paperwork, with most of them involving Moroccan nationals.
The network’s ringleader is allegedly based in Elche, and police said he prepared necessary documentation for the marriages through his job as a lawyer. False witnesses were hired, and they were trained alongside couples on how to answer questions and go through the administrative marriage process.
The lawyer was allegedly paid up to 100,000 euros for his services (MAD 1 million). Of the 72 marriages discovered, 51 allowed foreigners to obtain Spanish residency permits under false premises.
The 129 people arrested in the operation are being charged for violations of foreigner rights, falsification of documents, false testimony, and membership of a criminal group.
In the group, 66 members are men while 63 are women. The ages of the members range between 23 and 71.
All the marriages were registered in the Santa Pola office of the justice of the peace, Spanish newspaper The Olive Press reported. In Santa Pola, two real estate agents were also working with the network to provide fake leases and fraudulent addresses.
With many Moroccans hoping to immigrate to Spain and other European countries, criminal rings such as these usually charge exorbitant fees to forge paperwork or assist in obtaining permits under false pretenses.
While the method is generally considered safer than arduous and potentially deadly boat trips, it costs a lot and carries significant legal risks.
As of the time of writing, there have been no reports about what might happen to the migrants who benefited from the service, or if they are being considered “members” of the network.
Read also: Irregular Migration Flows Declined After Spain’s Support For Morocco’s Autonomy Plan
Moroccan and Spanish authorities have regularly collaborated with each other to thwart irregular migration operations, running regular operations to stop criminal rings specializing in the field and in the drug trade.
