This national police operation arrested eleven individuals who were linked to a trafficking network. The ring was dedicated to deceiving Spanish women with fake job offers and luring them to Spain where they were coerced into prostitution in brothels. The entire site was monitored around the clock by video cameras to control the victims and maintain order.
The police, in a statement outlining the actions under the Police Plan Against Human Trafficking, announced the release of five victims and the capture of a man and a woman of several nationalities from South America who were the main leaders of the organization.
Detainees recruited women in Honduras and used multi-step routes to bring them into Spain without triggering border checks. Once in the country, the women suffered sexual exploitation at various “dating floors” located in the Community of Madrid.
The ringleaders, a couple, and others in their circle exploited the women’s social vulnerability, aided by operatives abroad who helped prepare the victims for this situation and promised favorable working conditions to gain their trust.
Upon arriving in Spain, the promised conditions did not exist. The women were bound by debt, obligating them to repay loans of more than four thousand euros to the network, a financial trap that deepened their dependence and fear of exposure.
Drug sales and consumption
In addition to coercion, the group forced the victims to consume and traffic drugs, using fear of retaliation against relatives back home to maintain control and obedience.
The investigation led to the documentation of every address used by the network, and five of the victims were finally released from the scheme. Police operations also recovered cash, illegal drugs, and computing equipment connected to the trafficking activities.
The authorities continue to pursue broader inquiries into the network’s cross-border links and the full scope of coercive methods employed to recruit and manage the women, aiming to dismantle the entire operation and provide ongoing protection to the survivors.