Marrakech – Spanish police have dismantled an international criminal network that trafficked underage migrants from the Canary Islands to France, with critical operational infrastructure based in Morocco, resulting in 11 arrests across Spain.
The criminal organization, which operated across multiple countries, maintained logistical facilities in Morocco for transporting migrants to the Spanish archipelago in the Atlantic, while utilizing contacts in the Ivory Coast to obtain falsified documents that enabled the minors’ transfer to France.
The operation, code-named “Operation Triton,” led to nine arrests in Lanzarote, one in Madrid, and one in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Four suspects have been placed in provisional detention on serious charges, including belonging to a criminal organization, document forgery, human trafficking, crimes against family rights and duties, concealment, and child pornography.
The investigation began after authorities detected the disappearance of 14 minors from care centers in Arrecife, Lanzarote (13), and San Bartolomé de Tirajana, Gran Canaria (1) between November 2024 and May 2025.
A spokesperson for the Canary Islands Government told Spanish media that they currently have approximately 300 open procedures for minors who have fled from centers where they are under guardianship, though it remains unclear how many of these are migrant minors.
In May 2025, a key breakthrough occurred when police intercepted three minors at the Lanzarote airport, accompanied by a Mauritanian citizen who was attempting to board a flight to Madrid with them. Police checks revealed the minors were under state guardianship and lacked valid travel authorization or documentation.
The accompanying adult was arrested, along with one of the young females who had posed as a minor but was actually an adult. Both were charged with document forgery, crimes against the rights of foreign citizens, and abduction of minors.
Following this incident, investigators reconstructed the transnational structure of the network, which operated with clearly defined roles and logistics designed to move minors from the Canary Islands through mainland Spain and ultimately to France.
Investigators anticipate further arrests as probe widens
“The organization maintained contacts in Morocco responsible for transportation and border crossing, collaborators in the Ivory Coast responsible for supplying falsified documentation, and infrastructure in Spain that provided temporary accommodation and managed the final movement toward France,” police stated in their official release.
During the operation, authorities conducted two house searches in Lanzarote, where they seized extensive documentation, electronic devices, personal effects, and cash belonging to the network.
Police sources explained that the operation so far has focused on “the Spanish part” of the plot, while work continues to unravel connections in both Morocco and France through collaboration with law enforcement agencies in those countries.
The investigation remains open with the primary objective of locating and protecting all missing minors, though authorities have not specified the exact number they are searching for or what purpose the children were being trafficked to France for.
Spain is one of the three main entry points for migrants to Europe, along with Italy and Greece. The Canary Islands, located in the Atlantic off Africa’s northwest coast, constitute an important gateway for irregular migration to Spain.
Nearly 47,000 migrants arrived in the archipelago last year, setting a record for the second consecutive year, although arrivals have significantly decreased this year.
Read also: New Trend in Spain: Moroccan Parents Leave Children in Bilbao for Care Services
