The legal proceedings known as Case 18 Lovas are entering their decisive phase. According to legal sources consulted by this publication, the Public Prosecutor's Office is poised to ratify an expansion of the charges against several of the defendants, a decision that comes in the final stretch of an investigation that has dominated the legal news in southern Gran Canaria since 2016. This procedural change would mean that some of those named, who initially faced charges for two alleged crimes, could see the charges extended to six different offenses, a move that has met with strong opposition from the defense.
This is a case where the private prosecution is carried out by the Legal Services of the Government of the Canary Islands since there were minors who were under the guardianship of the Canary Islands Executive through what was formerly called the General Directorate of Minors and now Childhood.
The investigation seeks to clarify the existence of an alleged exploitation network that, under the guise of an escort agency, reportedly operated primarily between 2015 and 2016. The presiding magistrate of the Court of Instruction Number 2 of Las Palmas is focusing on crimes of alleged child prostitution, sexual assault, and human trafficking. At the center of the scheme, court rulings place Agustín Alemán, alias 'Yino', director of the aforementioned agency, whom the Public Prosecutor identifies as the alleged recruiter and facilitator of making women available to third parties.
The investigation involves prominent public and business figures, including the president of the Lopesan group, Eustasio López, as well as Eugenio Hernández León, Emilio Cabrera Caballero, and Domingo Hernández Tarajano. An arrest warrant for the latter was issued this year, 2026. The investigation is examining, among other scenarios, events that took place at a property in Ayagaures belonging to Hernández, where services from the agency were allegedly contracted, involving women nearing the age of majority.
The legal situation has become more complex following the recent "Operation Incubus" by the Canary Islands Police in January 2025, which is investigating whether the exploitation activities detected a decade ago continued over time. This new line of inquiry has strengthened the prosecution's theory regarding the possible existence of a crime of organized crime, which would be added to the charges of sexual assault with penetration and intimidation stipulated in the Penal Code.
Despite defense attorneys for several of the accused maintaining that there was no direct contact with minors or that they were unaware of the participants' ages, the judge has upheld the indictment of the six main defendants in the case. The investigating judge accepts the prosecutor's arguments, considering the common link to be the structure allegedly orchestrated by 'Yino'. With the investigation phase practically complete, the Las Palmas Provincial Court is preparing for a trial that, given the seriousness of the evidence and the profile of the defendants, is shaping up to be one of the landmark legal cases of the decade in the Canary Islands.
