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Spain Dismantles Ring Trafficking Minors From Canary Islands Shelters to France

Disappearances from two island shelters prompted a probe into a suspected route to France.

Overview

  • Police arrested 11 suspects in Operation Tritón—nine in Lanzarote, one in Madrid and one in Las Palmas—with four remanded to provisional prison.
  • Charges include membership in a criminal organization, document forgery, illegal trafficking, offenses against family rights, concealment and child‑pornography offenses.
  • Investigators say the network had logistics in Morocco, forged papers routed from Ivory Coast and temporary accommodation in Spain to move youths toward France.
  • The case advanced after officers intercepted three youths at Lanzarote airport in May 2025 with a Mauritanian adult, with one traveler posing as a minor found to be of age.
  • The inquiry remains open to locate and protect missing children—13 from Arrecife and one from San Bartolomé de Tirajana—and to expand cooperation with Moroccan and French authorities.