Source: Europa Press
Commanding Spanish Police Agents in Sevilla have arrested five people, between the ages of 38 and 63 years, responsible for swindling more than 81,000 Euros; this from various suppliers of fresh tuna; the operation is called “Nazarene Scamâ€.
According to the police report, the investigation began late July following a complaint from one of the companies concerned, which informed the police about the scam conducted by individuals working for a company that had done some initial orders of tuna. These orders were of small quantities and low amounts. After immediately settling the invoice for these smaller purchases, they placed new orders, this time of a larger quantity and a much higher value, leaving the supplier with an unpaid bill.
This is how they established contact and started to do business with at least four suppliers of fresh tuna, located in different parts of the Spanish Peninsula and Santa Cruz de Tenerife, receiving orders for large quantities.
CONTACT WITH BROKERS
In the next phase of their scam, the detainees kept in touch with brokers, who sell fish in the Huelva and Cadiz auction markets, so that they would be the ones in charge of selling tuna supplied by the affected companies. These brokers were unaware that the orders to the suppliers were not being paid.
Police said that the complainants, tired of demanding payment, went to the address of the company where they were supplying their fish to only discover that the premises was either empty or that it was the location of a totally different company that had nothing to do with their client.
During their investigation, the agents discovered that the detainees formed a conspiracy group with a perfect structure and well planned functions for each of its members. The detainees #2 and #3 were the main players, engaged in locating their victims and starting the fraudulent business with them and then prolonged the plot by convincing them to continue supplying goods that they afterwards would not pay.
“Straw manâ€
Two other detainees, 3# and #4, took care of going to the banks to withdraw the money from the transfers of the non -guilty brokers that sold the tuna and #5 was the figurehead, the “straw-manâ€, named as CEO of the company used for the fraudulent activities; a company and which they had together previously acquired because it had favorable financial and commercial reports.
With the arrest of these five people, the Spanish Group of Economic and Financial Crime has dismantled a criminal organization that had started operations last April and continued until the arrest of all its members.