Fraudulent registration network in Roquetas de Mar: 18 arrested and 188 cases
The Guardia Civil dismantles Operation 'Tabula Rasa' in Almería with 18 arrested for forging documents to illegally register foreigners.
Operation 'Tabula Rasa': Guardia Civil arrests 18 people for illegal registrations in Almería
The Guardia Civil in Almería has arrested 18 people accused of processing 188 fraudulent registrations in Roquetas de Mar. According to ABC, the operation was named 'Tabula Rasa' and was directed by the provincial command.
The investigation began in the first months of 2025, after several residents of the coastal town filed complaints. Those affected warned that people who had never lived there were registered at their addresses—mostly located in large buildings.
Forged documentation and usurped identities
The enquiries revealed that the alleged perpetrators would have used forged documentation to carry out the registrations: mainly water and electricity receipts. They would also have used the identity of the property owners without their knowledge or permission.
One of the most striking findings took place in a building in Aguadulce, where more than one hundred people were registered without officers being able to verify their actual residence at the corresponding addresses.
Victims who paid between 800 and 2,500 euros
The investigators took statements from 69 defrauded people. These individuals stated that they had paid amounts between 800 and 2,500 euros in exchange for obtaining their registration in Roquetas de Mar.
During the investigation, the Guardia Civil identified three criminal groups that would have operated mainly in large buildings in the municipality, with an organised structure to facilitate these registrations systematically.
Eighteen arrested in five municipalities
The 18 detainees were arrested in Adra, Almería, La Mojonera, El Ejido and Roquetas de Mar. The Armed Institute attributes to them, to varying degrees of involvement, offences of membership or formation of a criminal group, facilitation of illegal immigration, document forgery, fraud and usurpation of civil status.
The Guardia Civil has stressed that Operation 'Tabula Rasa' remains open, as there are still other targets related to the investigation pending location. Further action in the coming days cannot be ruled out.
Recent precedent in the same province
This is not the first case of this type uncovered in Almería. In August last, the National Police dismantled another network dedicated to processing irregular registrations for foreigners in irregular situations, resulting in fifteen arrests. That investigation revealed 47 irregular registrations spread across five addresses in Almería, Níjar and Canjáyar.
Source: ABC