The National Police in the Balearic Islands has arrested a local police officer in Palma who was renting substandard housing to irregular immigrants, charging between 300 and 750 euros. In some cases, the properties were simple storage rooms, basements or commercial premises that had been transformed into micro-housing that were also occupied by several people, making the living conditions completely unhealthy.
The detainee managed 73 rooms of these characteristics without lighting or ventilation, with a space of between 8 and 15 square meters, many of them, in which there was a bathroom, shower, stove and refrigerator, in addition to the bed and other elements. Gas cylinders were also confiscated, so the danger of an accident was very high given the poor habitability conditions of these storage rooms and the enormous risk of gas leaks and a subsequent explosion.
The National Police, in collaboration with the Local Police of Palma, arrested this local police officer, who is accused of the crimes of favoring irregular immigration, against moral integrity and fraud. The operation began after the Balearic Department of Habitatge received a complaint about what was happening, so the Government immediately transferred all the information to the police so that they could act.
The accused managed 73 rooms-homes in various neighborhoods of Palma. The victims paid between 300 and 750 euros per month for each room and the majority of those affected were of foreign origin, many of them in an irregular situation in Spain, hence the detainee is accused of favoring irregular immigration.
The alleged perpetrator had installed a device to control the electricity consumption of the rooms and also manipulated the electricity bills so that the tenants paid more for electricity than they consumed.
Almost none of the 73 homes located meet the minimum habitability conditions, without light or ventilation, and the agents in charge of the case point out that the hygienic situation was “dire.” There is also evidence that one of the victims fraudulently registered 12 other people
