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5 March 2008
MADRID – Police in Pamplona yesterday reported that they have dismantled a criminal ring in Navarre that arranged marriages of convenience between Spaniards and Nigerians who were seeking to become legal residents of Spain.
The three ringleaders of the group, a 36-year-old Nigerian, his Spanish girlfriend and a naturalised Spanish citizen from the Dominican Republic, have been detained together with 35 others.
Police authorities said that a total of 117 people are being charged in the case.
The group that arranged the marriages charged clients between EUR 8,000 and EUR 15,000. It had netted EUR 600,000 while in operation.
The criminal group was not only active in Spain and Nigeria, but also in countries such as Germany, Belgium, Italy and Austria.
[Copyright EL PAÍS / JESÚS DUVA 2008]