Canary Islands Migrant Teen Trafficking Ring Dismantled, 11 Arrested
Spanish police have dismantled an international criminal group trafficking underage migrants from the Canary Islands to France, arresting eleven people after fourteen minors disappeared from shelters.
Fourteen underage migrants went missing from their shelters in the Canary Islands between November 2024 and May. In just six months, one teenager after another disappeared after arriving by boat in Lanzarote or Gran Canaria. The National Police were alerted to the missing persons and have since dismantled an international criminal group that trafficked young people between the islands and France. Eleven people have been arrested so far, with four currently in jail.
Operation Timanfaya, part of Case Triton, began a year ago. In November, officers received the first report of a missing minor. This was followed by twelve more cases in Arrecife, Lanzarote, all within a six-month period. Another teenager, housed in a facility in San Bartolomé de Tirajana, Gran Canaria, also failed to return. Due to the seriousness of the situation and the lack of information on the fourteen adolescents, the National Police launched an investigation.
The first phase of Operation Timanfaya concluded in May. Officers were on high alert, ready to launch an emergency operation if any more minors went missing from the two centers. This is exactly what happened when three teenagers escaped from their accommodation in Arrecife. Their disappearance led investigators to César Manrique-Lanzarote Airport.
At the airport, officers intercepted the three minors with an adult Mauritanian citizen who was attempting to board a plane to Madrid with them. The officers stopped them and confirmed that the young people were under the care of the reception center and that the transfer was unauthorized and lacked proper documentation. The papers presented were found to be fake.
The adult was arrested immediately, along with one of the young women who was of legal age. They face charges including document forgery, crimes against the rights of foreign citizens, and child abduction. These were the first arrests in Operation Timanfaya and led to the discovery of further levels of the criminal organization.
By following this lead, the National Police uncovered a well-organized network with specific roles dedicated to trafficking migrants from supervised centers to France. This group used Morocco for logistics to transport adolescents by boat and across borders. They had contacts in Ivory Coast for obtaining forged documents and facilities in Spain to temporarily house the victims and arrange their passage to France, which investigators believe was the intended final destination.
Officers conducted two searches in Lanzarote, seizing documents, personal items, electronic devices, and money. In total, eleven members of the network have been arrested: nine in Lanzarote, one in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, and one in Madrid. Four of these individuals are in provisional prison, accused of belonging to a criminal organization, document forgery, human trafficking, crimes against family rights and duties, concealment, and child pornography.
The investigation is ongoing, with the aim of locating and protecting the missing minors and apprehending more members of the group.