A year of investigation, in conjunction with the Senegalese, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and Belgian authorities, led to the arrest of four people: three men and one woman. This was announced by the border police on Tuesday, February 7.
At the head of the network, a Senegalese and his sister, established for a long time in Southern Corsica, particularly in the restaurant industry; both holders of an identity card and a French passport obtained fraudulently, ten years ago.
Thanks to a forger located in Turkey, they modified Belgian, Portuguese, Italian and Spanish identity papers, stolen in countries of the Schengen area. These falsified documents were sold for 250 to 1,000 euros each, depending on the quality of the work. They were delivered to Corsica by fast transport companies. It is moreover some of these deliveries which made it possible to track the traffickers.
According to the investigators, the buyers of false papers were often members of the Senegalese community who came to work in hotels and restaurants for the summer season. Several Senegalese seasonal workers in an irregular situation have been ordered to leave French territory