Barcelona arrests 50 in network that earned over €3.2M

Catalan police arrested 50 people in the province of Barcelona on suspicion of belonging to a criminal network that earned more than €3.2 million by organising the illegal entry of Pakistani nationals into Spain and by arranging irregularisation of their stays, the regional force said.

According to the investigation, 43 of those detained are business owners who allegedly collaborated with the network by supplying sham employment contracts, while seven people are suspected core members of the organisation.

How the scheme worked

Investigators found the group recruited Pakistanis seeking work permits and residence authorisations, charging up to €30,000 to arrange their arrival and the necessary paperwork. For migrants already inside Spain who wanted to legalise their status, the network offered fake work contracts for sums up to €8,000.

The probe established that between March 2022 and July 2023 the organisation submitted 224 applications for the employment of foreign nationals from their countries of origin, 108 of which were approved. The authorities calculated revenues exceeding €3.2 million from those approved applications alone, not counting fees charged for rejected applications and regularisation procedures for migrants already in Spain.

Evidence indicates the group had a stable hierarchical structure since 2019 and operated from Catalonia with collaborators in Pakistan. Police identified 12 members of the criminal ring and 62 entrepreneurs linked to its activities across the food trade, hospitality, construction, craft and metalworking sectors. Investigators also reported cases of migrants working in harsh and exploitative conditions or in relationships that existed only on paper or ended shortly after documents were issued.

Arrests were carried out in two phases. For three of the seven core suspects the court has already ordered pre-trial detention.

Photo: press material from the event