The Policía Nacional has arrested three suspects in Ceuta and found them during an operation in the Barriada del Príncipe an overcrowded flat. According to the Ministerio del Interior ten people were staying there, including four minors. The operation took place on the night of 4 November 2026. Those found were initially given assistance and taken to the Centro de Atención Temporal de Extranjeros (CATE) brought, a facility run by the Policía Nacional for short-term reception and registration.
According to investigators, one of those affected told them she had been sexually assaulted in the flat. She described symptoms that could indicate that substances had been administered; police refer to a possible case of alleged chemical incapacitation. According to police, another person affected reported ongoing intimidation and restriction of their freedom. During the search, officers seized evidence, including a large wooden club and a glass containing traces of tablets, according to the ministry. The items are undergoing forensic examination; independent medical findings on possible incapacitation are still pending.
Those arrested are accused, among other things, of belonging to a criminal organisation, facilitating irregular migration, unlawful detention, coercion and sexual violence. The Public Prosecutor’s Office is involved; decisions on court appearances and further measures will be made after the evidence has been assessed. In Spain, the Ministerio del Interior is responsible for directing police operations, while the criminal classification of the case and any decision to bring charges are matters for the public prosecutor and the competent investigating courts.
The investigation follows leads that are said to have emerged during stepped-up police work since the summer. According to those leads, two siblings are said to have reached Spanish territory on 30 July and then stayed, in exchange for payment, in the flat in the Príncipe Alfonso district. Local reports use the term “piso patera” for such accommodation; police point to cramped conditions and overcrowding as risks to health and safety. Police sources say those affected repeated their statements in the presence of specialists. The authorities have not yet provided detailed information about the identities of those arrested or the origins of those affected. Police stress that the presumption of innocence applies until a court has ruled on the allegations.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).