National Police officers have freed 24 women who were victims of sexual exploitation and have dismantled the criminal organisation that allegedly exploited them in brothels located in different parts of Spain 24 hours a day, closing down five of these flats also used as points of sale and distribution of cocaine and erectile dysfunction drugs.
The women, mostly of Colombian nationality, were forced to work as prostitutes 24 hours a day, six days a week, with only two free hours a day, according to the National Police. The organization was led by a woman who was the head of a family network.
21 people have been arrested in the provinces of Madrid (10), Valencia (5), Castellón (3), La Rioja (2) and Zaragoza (1), among which are the four main leaders of the network who have been sent to provisional prison. 11 house searches have been carried out and five meeting houses have been closed by the courts.
A woman reported the crime to the police
The investigation began thanks to the statement of a woman who said she had been a victim of sexual exploitation by a criminal organisation. The numerous investigations initiated by the agents from that moment on allowed them to detect the activity of this network led by a citizen who, together with her immediate family, operated as a family clan while the rest of the members were citizens of Latin American origin.
Investigators were able to establish that the criminal organisation recruited victims in their country of origin through advertisements on sexual contact websites and, occasionally, through other women who were allegedly under the control of the criminal organisation.
The women accepted the conditions imposed due to their precarious economic situation at home and in the hope of improving their living situation, often being the sole breadwinners for their family.
The victims travelled by air from their country of origin or other countries in the European Union to Spain, pretending that it was a tourist trip, passing on such expenses to them in the form of debt that they would have to settle by submitting to the sexual exploitation of the criminal network.
Deplorable conditions and “new women” every 21 days
The criminal network carried out its activity in at least six meeting houses located in the provinces of Castellón, Madrid, Málaga and Valencia.
When the women arrived in our country, they were transferred to one of these flats, where they remained for periods of 21 days, and when the exploiters considered that the women were “burned out” in one area, they moved them to other meeting flats. This rotation system was used to satisfy the constant demand for “new women” from clients and thus increase the profits of the network, according to the police.
The victims were forced to accept all sexual orders 24 hours a day with only one day off per week and two hours off after giving prior notice to the members of the criminal network. Of the earnings obtained from the sexual services provided, they were only entitled to 50%.
The members of the criminal network themselves were responsible for responding to and arranging sexual services with clients, either through phone calls or instant messaging, thus controlling the quantity and duration of the services.
Narcotics and money laundering
The brothels also functioned as points of sale and distribution of narcotic substances, mainly cocaine, and prescription drugs indicated for the treatment of erectile dysfunction.
The criminal network collected the economic benefits derived from sexual exploitation and the sale of these narcotic and pharmaceutical substances through a mobile phone payment platform. To do this, it had a network of collaborators who provided telephone lines and bank accounts where payments were made, which were then transmitted to the leaders of the criminal network in cash or through cryptocurrencies.
To launder these profits, they made use of intermediary commercial companies through which they acquired various movable and immovable assets.
The police operation ended with 11 house searches in which 51,730 euros in cash, a vehicle, 11 mobile phones, two laptops, a tablet, 35 grams of cocaine, 446 grams of marijuana, 52 grams of hashish, 23 tablets of medication for the treatment of erectile dysfunction, and an air pistol with lead ammunition were seized. In addition, cash and cryptocurrencies were blocked and the disposal of assets worth 508,367 euros was prohibited.
The National Police, on the International Day against Sexual Exploitation and Human Trafficking, has recalled that it has the telephone line 900105090 and the mail trata@policia.es to facilitate citizen collaboration and the anonymous and confidential reporting of these types of crimes, so that the call does not appear on the telephone bill.
Source: www.eldiario.es
