Police break up sex trafficking network operating on Costa del Sol

National Police officers have freed 24 women who were victims of a sex trafficking gang and forced to work as prostitutes in brothels across Spain, including Malaga.

According to researchers, the women, most of Colombian descent, were forced to work in brothels 24 hours a day, six days a week, with only two hours of free time per day.

The gang that led the operation was led by a woman who headed a family network. Police arrested 21 people in the provinces of Madrid (10), Valencia (5), Castellón (3), La Rioja (2) and Zaragoza (1), including the four main perpetrators of the plan, who have been taken into custody. Police carried out 11 raids on homes and closed five brothels.

The first complaint to the police

The investigation was launched after a woman said she had been a victim of sex trafficking by the gang. This led police to discover that the operation was run by a woman who, along with her immediate family members, operated as a family clan.

The gang recruited victims in their home countries through online ads and, occasionally, through other women already working as prostitutes, investigators said. The women accepted the conditions because of their precarious economic situation at home and in the hope of improving their living conditions, as they were often the sole breadwinners in their families.

The victims then traveled to Spain, posing as tourists. The organization passed the costs on to the victims in the form of a debt that they had to pay off by working as prostitutes.

Exploitation under miserable conditions

The criminal network was active in at least six brothels in the provinces of Castellón, Madrid, Malaga and Valencia.

When the women arrived in Spain, they were transferred to one of these locations, where they remained for 21 days. When the traffickers felt that the women in one area were “burned out,” they moved them to other brothels. This rotation system was used to meet the constant demand for “new women” from clients and to increase the network’s profits, police said.

The victims were forced to accept all sexual orders 24 hours a day with only one day off per week and two hours off per day with prior notice. They were only entitled to 50% of the profits from the sexual services they performed.

The members of the criminal network were responsible for answering and arranging sexual services with the clients, either by phone or by instant messaging, and also controlling the terms and conditions of the services.

Money laundering

The brothels also served as sales and distribution points for drugs, primarily cocaine, and prescription medications for the treatment of erectile dysfunction.

The criminal network collected the proceeds via a mobile payment platform. For this purpose, it had a network of employees who provided telephone lines and bank accounts where payments were made, which were then sent to the leaders of the criminal network in cash or via cryptocurrency.

In order to launder the profits, they used trading companies. Through these companies they acquired all kinds of movable and immovable property.

The police operation ended with 11 house searches during which they seized 51,730 euros in cash, a vehicle, 11 mobile phones, two laptops, an I-pad, 35 grams of cocaine, 446 grams of marijuana, 52 grams of hashish, 23 tablets for the treatment of erectile dysfunction and an air pistol. Cash and cryptocurrencies were also blocked and a ban was imposed on the sale of assets worth 508,367 euros.

The National Police, on the International Day Against Sexual Exploitation and Trafficking in Persons, reminded the public that it has a telephone helpline at 900 105 090 and e-mail [email protected] to help victims and encourage anonymous and confidential reports of this type of crime. The call will not appear on the phone bill.