Three people have been arrested in Lanzarote after police uncovered the sexual exploitation of a 14-year-old girl who had been missing from a children’s care centre for several months. The investigation began in January 2025 after the teenager disappeared from a protected accommodation centre in Arrecife.
The operation has now led to the arrest of a 57-year-old woman and two men on suspicion of offences including child exploitation, encouraging a minor to leave home, prostitution-related offences and sexual assault.
The girl was eventually found by officers from the National Police Family and Women’s Unit (UFAM) in Puerto del Carmen. According to police, the teenager told officers she was frightened, believed she might be pregnant and wanted to leave the island.
She was immediately taken to hospital for medical checks while officers launched a full investigation into her disappearance and living conditions.
Police discovered the girl had been staying in a squatted property in Puerto del Carmen alongside several people who were allegedly occupying other empty properties in the same area.
Investigators say the teenager had been sleeping in the same room as the 57-year-old woman, who has now been arrested for allegedly encouraging the minor to abandon her care placement.
According to the National Police, officers gathered evidence showing the girl had been sexually exploited in exchange for money and other items. Two men were arrested in connection with prostitution offences, while one of them also faces allegations of sexual assault involving a minor.
The case has now been passed to the courts. The main suspect has been remanded in custody, while precautionary measures have been imposed on the other two detainees.
Police have also reminded the public that anyone with information about suspected criminal activity can report it anonymously through the official National Police website.
Other Child Disappearance Cases in Lanzarote
The case comes amid wider concerns over missing minors in the Canary Islands.
In November 2025, the National Police dismantled an international trafficking network accused of moving migrant children from the Canary Islands to France. During Operation Tritón, officers arrested eleven people in Lanzarote, one in Gran Canaria and another in Madrid.
The investigation began after fourteen minors, mostly girls, disappeared from care centres in the Canaries between late 2024 and mid-2025.
Police said the criminal group was highly organised, with contacts in Morocco and the Ivory Coast allegedly helping arrange transport, border crossings and false documents for the minors.
