Spain: Three Italian fugitives arrested for using false documents to live under false names

On May 7, 2026, following a comprehensive investigative effort conducted in close collaboration with the Carabinieri Special Operations Group, the Spanish National Police's General Information Commission in Madrid located and arrested three Italian fugitives who were subject to a European arrest warrant. The operation unfolded simultaneously between Barcelona and Tenerife, in the Canary Islands, where the three individuals were located after intense and prolonged international collaboration.

European arrest warrants and final convictions

The three arrested were wanted on various charges stemming from three separate convictions. The charges include battery, personal injury, damage, tax evasion, fraud, receiving stolen goods, forgery of public authentication or certification fingerprints, material forgery committed by a public official, impersonation, and theft. This complex judicial framework led to the activation of European arrest warrants and the subsequent identification of the fugitives in Spain.

The network of false documents in Tenerife

The Spanish National Police's General Information Commissioner's Office (Comisaría General de Información) successfully targeted a criminal organization that, according to investigators, operated a veritable production and distribution center for false documents in Tenerife. The network allegedly provided fake identities and altered documentation, essential tools for allowing wanted individuals to evade controls and extend their stay abroad.

Fictitious identities to evade controls

The three Italian fugitives, identified and arrested thanks to collaboration with the ROS, allegedly systematically used false documents produced by the criminal organization to travel and live in Spain under false names. The use of fictitious identities would have allowed them to reduce the risk of being intercepted during police checks, administrative checks, or travel within the country, making their location more difficult.

The connection with the Ibiza catches

The Spanish National Police's investigation into the network dedicated to the production of false documents also stems from a previous investigative development: the capture, on August 15, 2025, in Ibiza of three other fugitives who had evaded precautionary measures as part of the ROS ANEMONE investigation, carried out on July 8, 2025. In that case too, the wanted individuals' stay abroad was apparently facilitated by the same criminal network, capable of providing logistical and documentary support to individuals intent on evading judicial authorities' measures.

Collaboration between the Carabinieri and the Spanish Police

This operational achievement is the fruit of international cooperation between police forces, developed through a constant exchange of investigative information between the Carabinieri Special Operations Group and the General Information Commission of the Spanish National Police. This collaboration allowed them to reconstruct the fugitives' movements, identify the channels used to obtain false documents, and locate the three wanted men in Spain.

Eurojust's role in the operation

Eurojust, the European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation, also supported the operation. Its intervention facilitated coordination between the authorities involved, in a transnational investigative context that required combining police activities, judicial procedures, and European cooperation instruments. The availability of European arrest warrants was crucial in enabling the execution of the orders against the three fugitives.

A blow to international fugitives

The arrest of the three Italians and the simultaneous dismantling of the fake document network in Tenerife represent a significant step forward in the fight against international fugitives. The operation confirms how counterfeit identities and criminal networks specializing in document forgery are crucial tools for those attempting to evade justice, but also how cooperation between European countries can reduce the scope for escape for individuals subject to definitive or precautionary measures.