(Reuters) -Spanish police said on Thursday they had dismantled an international crime ring accused of trafficking minors from the Canary Islands to France, arresting 11 people in an operation that spanned Lanzarote, Madrid and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. “Four of the suspects have been placed in pre-trial detention on charges related to organised crime, […]
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Spanish police break up ring accused of trafficking minors to France
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(Reuters) -Spanish police said on Thursday they had dismantled an international crime ring accused of trafficking minors from the Canary Islands to France, arresting 11 people in an operation that spanned Lanzarote, Madrid and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
“Four of the suspects have been placed in pre-trial detention on charges related to organised crime, document forgery and child pornography,” police said in a statement.
The investigation began after the disappearance of 14 minors from state-run centres on the Canary Islands between late 2024 and mid-2025.
Police said the group used routes and contacts in Morocco, Ivory Coast and Spain to move the children and provide them with fake documents for their transfer to France.
Two homes were searched in Lanzarote, where officers seized personal documents, electronic devices and cash.
The investigation remains open to locate the missing minors and trace international links, police said.
(Reporting by Jesus Calero, Editing by Alexandra Hudson)