Segovia police arrest crew members for faking passport theft

The National Police in Segovia have uncovered a fraudulent scheme by two crew members of a foreign vessel who attempted to bypass immigration laws to remain illegally in Spain.

According to investigators, the individuals took advantage of the ship's stopover to leave the vessel outside of their authorized transit period. To justify their presence and facilitate the renewal of documents at their home country's consulate, they filed a false report claiming their wallets and passports had been stolen.

The investigation, which began on August 21, 2026, led authorities to locate the very passports that had been reported as stolen. Working with the ship's consignee, police confirmed the documents were never actually taken by third parties, exposing the report as a maneuver to cover an irregular migratory status within the Schengen Area.