Spanish National Police, in collaboration with Europol, have dismantled a criminal organisation accused of facilitating the illegal entry of migrants, primarily from Yemen, into the United Kingdom and Canada using forged passports and airline tickets. The network, which profited approximately €3,000 per migrant, enabled over 40 irregular migration attempts. Authorities arrested 11 individuals, six in Gijón, four in Cantabria, and one in Madrid, including the group’s leader, and conducted simultaneous searches in Madrid, Santoña, and Torrelavega, and seized ten mobile phones, a forged passport, and documents related to travel bookings. People smuggling tip off to Spanish police came from Canadian cops The investigation began in September 2024 after the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) reported multiple cases of Yemeni nationals attempting to enter Canada from Spanish airports with fake passports. Further international cooperation with agencies in Switzerland, Finland, Austria, Germany, Ireland, and the UK revealed the organisation’s operations across several provinces. The group provided forged passports and fraudulent travel arrangements, charging up to €3,000 per transaction. The criminals’ modus operandi involved migrants obtaining refugee cards in Greece, traveling to European airports, and receiving boarding passes and fake passports from a network member in the airport’s international transit area. The boarding pass was issued under the name of a legitimate ticket holder who made the flight reservation for the migrant. The operation culminated in three home searches in Madrid, Santoña, and Torrelavega, effectively dismantling the network. A Europol analyst assisted in extracting and analysing data from the suspects’ mobile phones. The 11 arrests, including the organisation’s leader, mark a significant blow to the trafficking ring.