TWO people have been arrested on Minorca and in Seville, suspected of being part of a criminal gang selling false Portuguese identity cards to immigrants from former Portuguese colonies, so that they could pass themselves off in Spain as citizens of the European Union.
The organisation contacted Brazilian citizens and those of other countries which speak Portuguese, who paid between 400 and 1'200 euros for the documents. Later they were informed of the procedure to obtain a residence permit in Spain as citizens of the European Union, according to sources from the Western Andalucia Police Headquarters.
The gang made a house in Seville available to people so that they could register with the council there and told them that they should go to the Foreigners Office to apply for the residence permit, using the forged documents as identification.
In the police operation, which started in June, a 34 year old Brazilian citizen was arrested on Minorca on suspicion of seeking possible clients.
Another Brazilian, 44 years old, was arrested in Seville and is considered to be the intermediary between the forger and the immigrants. Documents were allegedly found in her house implicating other people of the same nationality.