Spanish National Police announced on 4 December that they have dismantled an organised network that brought at least 322 South-Asian migrants—mostly Nepalese—into Spain on short-stay Schengen visas and then deployed them as undocumented farm labourers across Castilla-La Mancha, Aragón and Valencia.
According to the police statement, recruiters in Kathmandu and Dubai arranged tourist visas issued by other Schengen states to avoid early detection. Once the migrants reached Madrid-Barajas, the gang confiscated passports and transported them to a warehouse complex in Albacete that had been crudely converted into dormitories. Video footage released by police shows dozens of mattresses crammed wall-to-wall, poor ventilation and a single portable toilet. Victims told investigators they were charged “accommodation fees”, fed one meal a day and sent in un-roadworthy vans to tomato, pepper and garlic farms where they worked up to 14-hour shifts without pay for months.
![Spanish police break up human-smuggling ring that trafficked 300 Nepalese farm workers]()
The operation—codenamed “Yak”—was triggered by a fatal traffic accident in October in which one Nepalese worker died when an overloaded van rolled on a rural road. Using phone intercepts and farm pay-roll records, agents arrested eleven Spaniards and Pakistanis believed to be ringleaders; two more suspects remain under investigation. Police seized €180,000 in cash, forged contracts, and stacks of passports. They are now coordinating with Nepal’s embassy and the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration to issue humanitarian residence permits and fast-track labour inspections at the affected farms.
The case underscores a growing compliance risk for agri-business clients that rely on outsourced field labour. Employers who hired the workers through unlicensed intermediaries may face fines of up to €100,000 per worker under Spain’s Law on Social Infringements and Sanctions. Risk managers are therefore urged to audit supply chains, verify that contractors hold valid GEH (Gestión Colectiva de Contrataciones en Origen) quotas, and step up due-diligence on seasonal-worker accommodation.
Labour-smuggling networks have increasingly targeted Spain because the country issued a record 314,000 farm work permits in 2024 yet seasonal demand still outstrips legal supply in horticultural hubs such as Almería, Murcia and Huesca. International assignment teams should brief staff on whistle-blower channels (Policía Nacional 900 10 50 90) and ensure that travel-risk providers monitor future police raids that could disrupt harvest-related operations.
According to the police statement, recruiters in Kathmandu and Dubai arranged tourist visas issued by other Schengen states to avoid early detection. Once the migrants reached Madrid-Barajas, the gang confiscated passports and transported them to a warehouse complex in Albacete that had been crudely converted into dormitories. Video footage released by police shows dozens of mattresses crammed wall-to-wall, poor ventilation and a single portable toilet. Victims told investigators they were charged “accommodation fees”, fed one meal a day and sent in un-roadworthy vans to tomato, pepper and garlic farms where they worked up to 14-hour shifts without pay for months.
The operation—codenamed “Yak”—was triggered by a fatal traffic accident in October in which one Nepalese worker died when an overloaded van rolled on a rural road. Using phone intercepts and farm pay-roll records, agents arrested eleven Spaniards and Pakistanis believed to be ringleaders; two more suspects remain under investigation. Police seized €180,000 in cash, forged contracts, and stacks of passports. They are now coordinating with Nepal’s embassy and the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration to issue humanitarian residence permits and fast-track labour inspections at the affected farms.
The case underscores a growing compliance risk for agri-business clients that rely on outsourced field labour. Employers who hired the workers through unlicensed intermediaries may face fines of up to €100,000 per worker under Spain’s Law on Social Infringements and Sanctions. Risk managers are therefore urged to audit supply chains, verify that contractors hold valid GEH (Gestión Colectiva de Contrataciones en Origen) quotas, and step up due-diligence on seasonal-worker accommodation.
Labour-smuggling networks have increasingly targeted Spain because the country issued a record 314,000 farm work permits in 2024 yet seasonal demand still outstrips legal supply in horticultural hubs such as Almería, Murcia and Huesca. International assignment teams should brief staff on whistle-blower channels (Policía Nacional 900 10 50 90) and ensure that travel-risk providers monitor future police raids that could disrupt harvest-related operations.
