The Spanish National Police have arrested 77 people involved in issuing fake Schengen visas and aiding illegal border crossings of Indian immigrants into Europe.

According to the Spanish Ministry of the Interior, these individuals targeted Indian migrants, orchestrating their journey through Bahrain and Egypt to Libya. From there, they faced a perilous 28-hour boat trip across the Mediterranean to Lampedusa, Italy, often in overcrowded vessels lacking basic necessities.

Another branch of this network focused on Bolivian immigrants, using a similar method. Bolivian recruiters and Spanish travel agencies arranged passage through Turkey or Egypt. Once in Spain, migrants used Spanish passports of naturalized Bolivians to bypass border controls, paying between €8,000 and €10,000.

The investigation led to ten searches in Catalonia, where authorities seized over €500,000 in cash, 11 passports, and other crucial documents.