Eight female victims formed part of a criminal network dedicated to sexual exploitation. The unit released suspects in the towns of Valencia, including Alzira and Xàtiva. Additionally, five individuals, four of them in Istanbul, were arrested for alleged membership in this organized gang. One suspect was taken into custody in Canals. Victims were recruited through advertisements on contact pages that promised financial gains and took advantage of their vulnerable and unstable circumstances to gain control over them almost without limits.
The abuse described by those detained involved coercive sexual practices and financial penalties applied when victims refused to comply. Women were expected to be available around the clock, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.
Victims faced overcrowded conditions and even slept on mattresses when there were empty bedrooms in the flats where police teams intervened. The spaces were used to host sex work rather than ordinary living arrangements.
Deceived by Advertisements
The criminal network operated across the national territory and had a base in Valencia province. Members recruited women in Spain, many in irregular situations, through online ads that promised a lucrative opportunity in brothels.
The women experienced overcrowding as some bedrooms on the floors were used to meet with prostitutes.
After contact, the women were dispersed to shelters, with their already fragile situation worsening their economic and social vulnerability. The network ran two houses in Alzira and Xàtiva, Valencia, where new arrivals were subjected to harsh conditions to force them into prostitution.
Prices and Sexual Practices Imposed by Exploiters
Victims stayed on dating floors under inhumane conditions. Even with some free bedrooms, clothes were stored in suitcases or closets, or left on beds and sofas because rooms were designed for prostitution. The pricing of each sexual service was determined by the traffickers, not by the victims, who were expected to be available around the clock.
Economic penalties were imposed on those who refused certain sexual acts or other demands. The organization’s leader directed how customers should be served and assessed whether the workers were properly dressed and ready. The amount of time spent on services and the money earned were closely controlled. Security cameras monitored every movement on the dating floors.
Victims were compelled to record on a notebook beside their names the services performed, the payments received for each encounter, the duration of each act, and even any narcotics purchased by customers that they were required to provide. This is how so-called white parties allegedly involved sex and drugs in apartment settings were organized.
Police Investigation
The operation uncovered a plan of criminal activity that centered on sexually exploiting vulnerable women financially and personally. Customers paid for services through electronic payment apps and deposited funds into accounts linked to the phone numbers of the victims, enabling greater control over the proceeds.
Four Flats Registered in Alzira, Alberic and Xàtiva
During the operation, eight victims were released in Alzira and Xàtiva, while five suspects were arrested in the Valencia region—four in Alzira and one in Canals—for alleged involvement in a criminal organization related to prostitution and public health violations. Police conducted four residence searches in Valencia municipalities Alzira (two), Alberic (one) and Xàtiva (one), seizing 72,025 euros in cash, cocaine and marijuana ready for sale, a laptop, four mobile phones and investigative documents. [Citation: National Police statement]