Spanish National Police officers have dismantled a criminal organization allegedly dedicated to facilitating the irregular immigration of Dominican citizens into the Schengen Area through the use of fraudulently obtained Colombian documentation. The police operation resulted in the arrest of six people in Manresa (Barcelona), including the network’s leader in Spain, who is currently in pretrial detention. During the raids, officers seized more than 8,000 marijuana plants, €325 in cash, mobile phones, three vehicles, and froze nine bank accounts.
They took advantage of Colombian legislation to obtain authentic documents issued fraudulently.
The investigation began in August 2025, after information was received through international cooperation mechanisms, specifically from the Ameripol Center for Trafficking in Persons, about the existence of a criminal organization based in both Spain and Colombia dedicated to irregularly introducing Dominican citizens into Europe using fraudulently obtained Colombian documents.
The criminal organization exploited a practice observed among Dominican citizens seeking entry into the Schengen Area. While Colombian nationals are visa-exempt to enter European territory, citizens of the Dominican Republic do require prior authorization (a visa). The investigation revealed how migrants initially traveled from the Dominican Republic to Colombia using their authentic Dominican documents. Once there, members of the organization based in Colombia facilitated the fraudulent acquisition of authentic Colombian documentation.
To do this, they took advantage of Colombian law that allows an adult to register with the civil registry, accompanied by witnesses, and declare that they were born in that country. Based on this registration, the migrants obtained Colombian identity cards and later passports of the same nationality, which they used to travel to Europe pretending to be Colombian citizens.
To complete the process, the criminal organization handled both obtaining the fraudulent documents and arranging the international bookings and travel necessary to reach Europe. For these services and the overall organization of the journey, the migrants paid the network approximately €5,000 per person.
The agents also discovered that the organization made the flight reservations used by numerous migrants intercepted with fraudulent documentation, which allowed them to identify one of the main suspects, a Dominican citizen residing in Spain.
A complex international route to bring migrants into Europe
The organization had designed an international route with multiple stops to hinder police detection. After obtaining Colombian documents, the migrants traveled to Peru, where they stamped entry and exit points in their passports to give them an appearance of authenticity and legality. They then traveled to Brazil.
From there they tried to travel directly to Spain or using alternative routes through Casablanca (Morocco) with the final destination being France or Portugal, with Spain being the final destination planned by the organization.
During the investigation, agents also detected a change in the criminal network’s modus operandi. In addition to providing fraudulently obtained Colombian passports, they began supplying entirely counterfeit documents, including Foreigner Identity Cards (TIE) corresponding to residence permits in Spain.
The investigation included the interception of eight telephone lines linked to the main suspects, as well as an exhaustive analysis of the documentation and communications obtained, which made it possible to reconstruct nearly thirty migratory episodes related to the criminal organization.
More than 8,000 marijuana plants seized in the raids
The operation took place in early May with two raids and searches carried out in the town of Manresa (Barcelona). As a result, officers arrested six people and seized five mobile phones, cash, and a large amount of documentation related to travel arrangements and reservations used by the trafficked migrants.
Also, in one of the properties searched, the agents located an indoor marijuana plantation consisting of more than 8,000 plants in different stages of growth and flowering, as well as all the tools and systems necessary for its maintenance and exploitation.
Three vehicles allegedly used by members of the organization to carry out their illicit activities were also seized, and nine bank accounts belonging to the main suspect were blocked.