A network dedicated to recruiting minors under guardianship from sub-Saharan Africa for sexual exploitation has been arrested in Gran Canaria

The Spanish Civil Guard has dismantled a network based on the island of Gran Canaria dedicated to recruiting unaccompanied foreign minors housed in shelters. Their aim was to facilitate their departure from the islands and subsequently transport them to mainland Spain and France, where some of them were allegedly subjected to sexual exploitation.

The investigation began after authorities learned of the situation of a minor in state care who, after leaving a protection center in Gran Canaria, managed to return to Spain from France and reported that she had been lured with the promise of a job. From that point on, investigators detected other similar cases of minors leaving the centers without their personal documents and who, a few hours later, appeared on flights to various destinations on the Spanish mainland.

Pattern of operation of the criminal organization

A common pattern of behavior was established within the organization, which exploited the particularly vulnerable situation of the minors, many of whom lacked family ties in Spain, faced language barriers, and intended to leave the Canary Islands to work or reach other European countries. Under the guise of providing assistance, they offered them a way to leave the centers, provided them with identity or travel documents that did not match their true identities, and arranged their travel by air and land.

Investigators have confirmed the existence of a very distinct division of roles within the group. Some members were responsible for contacting the minors or facilitating contact from inside the centers; others managed the paperwork, the distribution of belongings, or the purchase of tickets; and still others accompanied the victims to the airport to ensure they accessed the boarding area and were subsequently transferred to their final destinations.

One of the key elements of the investigation was the detection of several instances of minors leaving Gran Canaria Airport using false identities. In some cases, the suspects accompanied the minors to the security checkpoints and controlled access to the restricted area, allowing agents to confirm that the departures were not isolated incidents, but rather part of an organized and repeated operation.

Two victims freed and the escape of four minors prevented

With the development of this operation, the Civil Guard has managed to free two victims and prevent the escape of four other minors, preventing them from leaving the islands following the same procedure used in previous cases.

The exploitation phase of the operation was carried out on July 29 by the Organized Crime Team (ECO) based in the Canary Islands of the Central Operational Unit (UCO) and by the Organic Unit of Judicial Police of Las Palmas, both belonging to the Civil Guard, carrying out a total of five entries and searches in different points of Gran Canaria and proceeding to the arrest of five people, one of them a minor.

The searches carried out proved positive for the investigation, with abundant documentation of interest and items related to the investigated events being seized, as well as mobile terminals, electronic devices and cash.