More than fifty Colombian women were recruited within Colombia by a criminal network that dragged them to Spain for sexual exploitation, even employing hitmen to threaten the victims. A joint operation by the Civil Guard and Colombian authorities brought the organization to an end.
This operation marked a turning point in Spain’s judicial history as it featured the first Joint Investigation Team (ECI) created at the judicial level between a European country and Colombia. The Civil Guard in Galicia, under the leadership of Miguel González Arias, highlighted the milestone.
Alfonso López Malo, the colonel in charge of the Central Operating Unit (UCO) of the Civil Guard, Beatriz Sánchez, prosecutor of the Foreigners and Trafficking in Persons Department, and Colonel Carlos Alfredo Currea, the Colombian Police attaché in Spain, echoed the significance of the case.
Estorqueresulted in the arrest of seven network members who did not hesitate to blackmail and pressure victims’ families. Investigators estimate that more than 50 women were exploited in the previous four years, with individual profits ranging from 25,000 to 35,000 euros.
With coordinated effort, the operation secured safe relocations for several victims and their relatives away from the organization’s reach in Colombia, the origin of the exploitation profits, and the money-laundering scheme that supported it. Victims and their families were protected as the criminal network’s influence began to erode.
Records in the chambers of the Los Pachelly clan were noted during this process, emphasizing the scale of the case and the seriousness of the charges. Beating back the threat, civil protection authorities underscored the need to safeguard those involved and to prevent further harm.
Bold testimony from a victim-turned-witness played a crucial role in triggering action. The complainant described how, in Colombia, she was lured by false promises and manipulated by the network, exploiting her economic and family situation. The witness feared further debt and coercion and decided to speak out.
The woman recounted how a debt to the network was imposed to cover transport and other costs to Spain, often turning into debt ten times larger through relatives coerced by the group. Investigators found that many victims were recruited with promises of jobs such as waitresses and transported to various Spanish provinces to engage in prostitution in private flats. The operation, named Action, unfolded across A Coruña, Toledo and Cáceres, leading to the rescue of several potential trafficking victims and the arrest of four individuals in Santiago de Compostela, Cáceres, and Gijón on charges of human trafficking for sexual exploitation, money laundering, and belonging to a criminal organization.
In Colombia, three suspects were taken into custody in Medellín, including the organization’s leader, who controlled recruitment, transport, and exploitation operations. An international arrest warrant was issued for another female member believed to be operating from Ecuador.
Clan Los Pachelly and the coercive reach of the network
Family members associated with the Los Pachelly clan faced threats or violence by the group to coerce compliance and ensure repayment. The Pachellys maintain strong ties to other well-known criminal factions, including the Gulf clan.
While investigations continued in both countries, the joint team, coordinating between Colombian and Spanish authorities and an NGO, successfully relocated the complainant’s son to Spain. The decision to withhold information about the operation’s outcome until the safety of the child and other relatives was assured demonstrates a commitment to victim protection.
Colombia among the countries with the highest number of victims
The joint team’s work was seen as a model for future investigations, with an emphasis on protecting victims as a primary goal. Prosecutors noted that Colombia tops the list of origin countries for women who were subjected to sexual exploitation in Spain, followed by Paraguay, Brazil, Venezuela, Romania and Nigeria. The collaboration highlighted the importance of cross-border cooperation in confronting trafficking networks and safeguarding vulnerable individuals.