Seventeen arrested in Navarra and La Rioja for their involvement in a mass regularization network of immigrants

The National Police of Navarra, in collaboration with that of La Rioja, has ended the so-called ‘operation Charco’, which began in 2023, and which has ended with 17 arrests for the creation of a network that offered false employment pre-contracts to money exchange to facilitate obtaining work and residence permits.

The leader of the group was a businessman from Rioja who was detected due to the unusual number of contracts from people of Moroccan origin in an irregular situation.

There began an operation that determined that the Riojan firm was selling pre-contracts for amounts that varied between 10,000 and 14,000 euros. In addition to the alleged leader, there were three other businessmen who participated in the plot and also several recruiters who were looking for Moroccan immigrants in an irregular situation to offer them the possibility of regularization in exchange for a significant financial outlay.

After a first payment of about 2,000 euros, they received false contracts (because they were not going to work in the company, but were only used to sign the procedures) and went to lawyers to request temporary residence or a work permit in the offices. from Logroño, Burgos, Bilbao… in order not to raise suspicions.

If the request was successful, it was time to pay the rest of the money. If not, the criminal plot would give them a second contract to try again.

The UCRIF Group of the Navarra Police Headquarters and the Logroño Immigration Operational Group have participated in the investigation. According to the National Police, one of the main suspects remains missing.