HIBAPRESS
Spanish Civil Guard elements arrested 18 people as part of a security operation in the city of Roquetas de Mar, Almería province, after detecting 188 suspected fraudulent population registration cases. Investigations revealed three groups suspected of organizing a network to facilitate registration at residential addresses for financial sums, using forged documents and the identities of property owners without their knowledge or consent.
The Civil Guard named the operation "Tabula Rasa" and stated that the investigation began in the early months of 2025, following complaints filed by residents in Roquetas de Mar after discovering unknown individuals officially registered at their home addresses, particularly within large residential buildings.
According to data provided by the Civil Guard and reported by Spanish media, the suspects used forged documents to complete registration processes, including water and electricity bills, in addition to using property owners' identities without their permission to legitimize the files submitted to local authorities.
Investigations revealed a striking case in a building in the Aguadulce area of Roquetas de Mar, where over 100 people were registered at the same address, without investigators being able to prove their actual residency in the housing they were registered at.
More detailed data published by Diario de Almería newspaper indicates that the number of individuals identified by investigations in one building reached 122 of Moroccan nationality, with notes regarding their registration documents and procedures.
Investigations revealed that 69 individuals gave statements as victims of fraud, saying they paid sums ranging from 800 to 2500 euros for population registration in Roquetas de Mar. These statements suggest that some individuals were primarily seeking population registration, while others linked the amounts they paid to obtaining a room or accommodation they believed they would reside in.
Details from the case files, according to Diario de Almería, show that some individuals were unaware that the process they paid for would end with their names being added to the population registry, as in some cases they believed they were paying to rent actual housing. In one statement, a person said they paid a 300 euro down payment out of an agreed 800 euros for accommodation, with the remaining amount to be paid upon moving in, but they were later unable to access the accommodation and could not contact the person who received the money.
In another case, an individual stated they paid 500 euros for a room with the possibility of registering at the same address, before communication with the person who promised them the housing ceased. Statements also included the case of a person who paid 700 euros for registration, and another case where a person agreed with an intermediary to compensate for the registration cost with days of work instead of paying money directly. These incidents remain within the statements collected by the police as part of the investigation, not final judicial rulings.
Investigations also uncovered cases involving the property owners themselves. In one instance, a homeowner in El Parador de las Hortichuelas discovered four people registered at his address, confirming to the authorities that he had not allowed them to reside or register at the property. According to the files reviewed by Diario de Almería, the documents used included a copy of the owner's ID and rental agreements that he stated he did not sign.
In another incident in the Aguadulce area, a property owner discovered individuals registered at his residence through a rental agreement that he stated he did not issue. Authorities received a list of eight people registered at the address, with seven of them providing statements during the investigation.
Investigators, according to the Civil Guard, identified three criminal groups suspected of operating primarily within large residential buildings and establishing a structure to facilitate illegal registration processes. The announced phase of the operation concluded with the arrest of 18 individuals in Roquetas de Mar, Adra, Almería, La Mojonera, and El Ejido.
Authorities attribute to the detainees, to varying degrees of involvement, actions related to belonging to or forming a criminal group, facilitating irregular migration, forgery, fraud, and impersonation of civil status. Authorities have not announced the closure of the case, confirming that Operation Tabula Rasa remains open, with other individuals linked to the investigation yet to be located, leaving the door open for new arrests.
Subsequently published data indicates that the investigation is not limited to those orchestrating the registrations but also aims to determine how property owners' documents reached administrative files, who is behind the contracts and documents used, and whether the individuals who paid money were solely victims of fraud or if some participated, depending on each case, in registration-related violations.
The operation comes after population registration became the focus of several complaints in Roquetas de Mar, after homeowners discovered unknown individuals registered at their addresses. In the cases examined by the authorities, reviewing population registration certificates helped uncover individuals whose presence in their home registries was unknown to the property owners.
