The Spanish National Police free 15 women victims of trafficking
Agents of the Spanish National Police have released 15 women victims of trafficking in premises located in the region of Murcia and in the province of Almería thanks to a complaint received by email trata@policia.es. Two criminal organizations have been dismantled and 16 people have been arrested -15 in Murcia and one in Almería- of which seven have entered provisional detention. The victims were vulnerable women, recruited mainly in Colombia and Ecuador, and later forced into prostitution after arriving in Spain where they were subjected to surveillance using video surveillance devices.
The police investigation began with a complaint received in the email trata@policía.es from the Service for Attention to Victims of Human Trafficking of the National Police, which also coincided in time with the statements provided by several people who claimed to be victims. of these networks. The investigations carried out by the agents and directed by the Investigating Court number one of Lorca allowed us to verify the existence of two criminal organizations, one based in Murcia and the other in Lorca, dedicated to the trafficking of women for their subsequent exploitation in brothels located in different towns in the region of Murcia and Almería.
The two networks, which would have collaborated in the past, currently carried out their activity independently, but with a similar modus operandi. They recruited women in situations of vulnerability and economic need in their countries of origin, Colombia and Ecuador mainly, and convinced them to travel to our country through deception. During their recruitment, they helped them prepare for the trip and finance it, they gave them the necessary instructions to cross the border, and once in Spain, they took them to the different brothels they ran where they were informed of the real work to be done.
Abusive conditions
Women were forced to engage in prostitution under burdensome and abusive conditions. In an intimidating and secluded environment, they were controlled through video surveillance cameras, they had to ask permission to go out and they could not refuse any service.
They received around 50 percent of the profits obtained, they were forced to consume narcotic substances and only in some cases were they freed from sexual exploitation, but in exchange they were exploited for work performing functions as managers in brothels. In addition, in the case of the network established in Lorca, the exploiters rotated the victims between the brothels every 15 days to guarantee the clients new women.
The search of seven brothel floors and 3 homes has been carried out, in which 29,000 euros and 5,000 dollars in cash, two vehicles, several grams of cocaine, marijuana and hashish, various electronic devices and abundant documentation of interest have been intervened. for research.
