Four arrested in Barcelona and Tarragona for allegedly facilitating illegal residency for non-EU citizens

Police have dismantled a criminal network that allegedly helped non-EU citizens obtain residency documents illegally in exchange for money.

The operation, carried out on January 13 in Tarragona and Barcelona by Catalonia's Mossos d'Esquadra and Spain's National Police, led to the arrest of two men and two women aged 21 to 26.

Authorities say the group paid women outside the network to enter into civil unions with foreign nationals and fraudulently file applications for residence permits for family members of EU citizens.

The network is believed to have falsified around 30 cases, allowing recipients to move freely within the Schengen area.