Spanish National Police frees seven victims of sexual exploitation and dismantles a criminal group dedicated to human trafficking

National Police agents have freed seven victims of sexual exploitation -in Madrid, Alicante and Toledo- and dismantled a criminal group allegedly dedicated to human trafficking. The criminal network recruited its victims taking advantage of their situation of need, offered them deceptive working conditions and then forced them into prostitution, having to be available 24 hours a day. They threatened the victims if they refused to engage in prostitution and controlled them through surveillance cameras, in some cases even locking them in the rooms.

The investigation culminated in the release of seven victims of sexual exploitation and the arrest of three people, two in Alicante and one in Toledo, for the crimes of trafficking in human beings for the purpose of sexual exploitation, related to prostitution, belonging to a criminal group , crime against public health and favoring illegal immigration. Two of the detainees have been ordered to enter prison.

The entry and registration has been carried out in three addresses in Madrid, Alicante and Toledo. A vehicle, seven mobile phones, a laptop, three video surveillance cameras, about 3,000 euros in cash, more than two grams of marijuana, a precision scale for narcotic substances and documentation related to the investigation have been seized.

From Murcia to Alicante and Toledo

The criminal network was initially based in the Murcian municipality of San Pedro del Pinatar, to later move to the province of Alicante and expand to the province of Toledo. They recruited their victims, mainly of Colombian nationality, both in their country of origin and in the national territory itself, offering them deceptive working conditions, such as earning around 1,500 euros a week with clients with high purchasing power.

Upon arriving in national territory, those involved forced their victims into prostitution to pay off the debt contracted for the trip, imposing abusive conditions on them. The members of the network were in charge of setting the price of sexual services. The detainees controlled the women through surveillance cameras and threatened them with beatings if they were reluctant to have sex with the clients. In addition, after advertising sexual services, they served customers through instant messaging posing as the victims.

The victims were replaced every few months by new girls and practiced prostitution under fines and charges for other concepts, in addition to paying 50 percent of what was obtained for sexual services. They also had to take care of living expenses and even, on occasions, those involved did not give them even half of what they obtained from prostitution.

They ate once a day

The victims were foreigners in an irregular situation, with limited economic resources and lack of roots in the country, all with the aim of having to submit to the demands imposed on them by those involved. They were captured under the false promise of obtaining money to support their families and facilitate their entry into national territory. Once in Spain, they were taken by vehicle to a house in the Murcian town of San Pedro del Pinatar, where they were hosted.

The victims received only half of what was obtained for the services performed, which was not always the case, since the property managers were the ones who managed the collections for their exploitation. They had to be available 24 hours a day, for which they ate only one meal a day if necessary. The exits from the premises had a very exceptional character.

They were instructed to offer customers the possibility of purchasing narcotic substances, mainly cocaine, at the price of 30 euros per half gram, but also marijuana. In the event that the police showed up, they had to say that they were renting rooms. They were kept in the same room, both to perform sexual services and to sleep, sometimes they even had to share a bed.