The Civil Guard of Costa Teguise has concluded Operation JIPIJAPA with the arrest last Wednesday, December 17, of nine people, eight in Lanzarote and one in the south of Gran Canaria. The arrested individuals are accused of crimes of continuous fraud, money laundering, and belonging to a criminal organization, related to the activity of a well-known private clinic in Costa Teguise.
The investigation began after a complaint filed on February 19, 2024, at the Main Post of Costa Teguise, which alerted to alleged health irregularities committed at said medical center. From that moment on, the Civil Guard initiated the appropriate proceedings to clarify the facts and verify the authenticity of the complaint.
Over the following months, agents gathered sufficient evidence that prompted the request to Investigating Court No. 1 of Arrecife for authorization to enter and search both the clinic and another company linked to it located in Madrid. During these searches, carried out with the collaboration of EDITE specialists from the UOTPJ of the Guardia Civil in Las Palmas, a large amount of documentation and electronic devices were seized.
After analyzing the seized materials—which included several mobile devices and tens of terabytes of digital information—investigators discovered new crimes related to scams against travel insurance companies, both domestic and foreign.
These practices were allegedly organized through a hierarchical structure in which each member played a key role, with a complex modus operandi that was difficult to detect due to the closed nature of the group. In the course of the investigation, the Guardia Civil arrested nine workers from the health center, some of whom are also being investigated for a possible crime of reckless homicide in relation to the death of a foreign tourist.
Starting in September 2024, the actions were formally framed within operation JIPIJAPA, led by the Civil Guard of Costa Teguise with the support of the UOPJ of Las Palmas. The investigation required the collaboration of various police units, both nationally and internationally, and contact with numerous foreign insurance companies distributed throughout Europe, North America, and South America. Several of them, upon learning of the operation's progress, joined the case as injured parties.
Thanks to this cooperation and the work of the agents, all members of the organization have been identified and arrested. The proceedings have been sent to the Arrecife Court of First Instance for the continuation of the judicial process.