Spanish National Police announced on 17 July the dismantling of a document-forgery network in Orihuela (Alicante) that supplied false asylum receipts and identity papers to more than 60 seasonal farm labourers, mostly from Colombia. The investigation, launched late last year by the Orihuela aliens and borders brigade, uncovered a city-centre call-shop that produced two kinds of papers: doctored asylum-application slips giving the appearance of longer lawful stay, and recycled residence permits from former workers with only the photograph swapped. Three agro-export companies in Alicante and neighbouring Murcia are alleged to have knowingly hired the beneficiaries to cover peak harvesting needs. Police raided the call-shop and the farms simultaneously, arresting the shop’s owner, an employee and several company managers alongside 60 migrant workers on charges of document fraud and identity theft. Officers say more arrests are likely as they trace how the papers were distributed across the Levante farming belt. The bust is a wake-up call for employers who rely on Spain’s new fast-track agricultural recruitment scheme (“contingente agrario”), which allows labour-short sectors to sponsor non-EU workers directly in their country of origin. Using forged documents can now trigger multi-year hiring bans, fines of up to €100,000 and potential loss of EU export licences under Spain’s 2024 Due-Diligence in Supply Chains Act. Mobility and HR teams should review subcontractor vetting, insist on digital verification of identity documents and schedule internal audits before the autumn citrus season. The case also illustrates the growing demand for legalisation services among migrants caught between long waits for work authorisation and labour-market shortages in Spain’s agri-food sector.
Source: El País
