Overview
- Police arrested 50 people in a two-phase operation on Oct. 26–27, detaining 43 entrepreneurs, identifying 12 alleged operatives and remanding three suspects to prison.
- Investigators say the group ran a hierarchic fraud that used forged civil records, sham employer contracts and company façades to file 'contratación en origen' applications for migrants.
- Between March 2022 and July 2023 the network filed 224 origin-hiring files, 108 of which were approved, and authorities estimate the approved cases brought in more than €3.2 million.
- The scheme recruited mainly Pakistani nationals who paid up to €30,000 for visas and paperwork while some migrants already in Spain paid as much as €8,000 for simulated contracts; some ended up in precarious or near‑exploitative work.
- The probe started from forensic analysis of documents seized in a 2024 trafficking investigation and remains open under Barcelona courts and the public prosecutor with further arrests or charges possible.