Twenty-three arrested in Malaga for false driving licences

TWENTY-THREE arrested in Malaga for obtaining false driving licences. The National Police, in collaboration with the General Directorate of Traffic, has intercepted almost 600 counterfeit Venezuelan driving licenses which were being prepared to be exchanged for Spanish licenses. The intervention of these documents has been practised during the fourth phase of the police operation, which has resulted in the arrest of 436 people in 11 Spanish provinces. Malaga, with 23 arrested, is the third province with the most implicated after Madrid with 312 and Santa Cruz de Tenerife with 46.
The General Police Directorate has reported today, July 1, that those involved obtained false documentation through social media networks, where criminal groups located in Venezuela charged them an average of $90 and promised to deliver them the Venezuelan license, in two or three days, by post. Since August 2017, a new format has been issued in Venezuela that does not meet the legal requirements for the exchange process, which is why these citizens resorted to criminal groups to obtain a forgery of the previous format. The holders of the false driving licenses have not been able to prove that they have a legal driving license, with the consequent danger that this poses for road safety.
As reported by La Opinion de Malaga, the fraudulent behaviour had spread throughout Spain because, in the cities with the greatest presence of Venezuelan citizens, they had many difficulties getting an appointment at the Traffic Headquarters, so they requested them in less crowded border headquarters. As a consequence of what happened, the General Directorate of Traffic suspended the exchange procedure with Venezuela from March 15, 2021. The arrests have spread to Guipuzcoa (13), Sevilla (11), Alava (9), Alicante (9), Barcelona (7), Ciudad Real (4), Badajoz (1) and Pontevedra (1).