An organization that sexually exploited women in the Canary Islands and other parts of Spain dismantled

Agents of the National Police have dismantled a criminal organization dedicated, allegedly, to trafficking women for sexual exploitation in brothel apartments located in the provinces of Barcelona, Seville and Gran Canaria. The victims, of Latin American origin, were recruited to work in our country through fictitious offers published on the internet.

For the transfer to Spain they acquired a debt of between 3,500 and 4,000 euros that they had to pay off by practicing prostitution 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The network also had an apartment used as a call center for receiving calls from clients, attended by women who were exploited for labor. The organization's profits increased with the sale of narcotic substances to clients, and money movements of more than 800,000 euros have been detected by the main person in charge.

There are 14 people arrested in the provinces of Barcelona (10), Seville (2) and Gran Canaria (2), one of whom has been remanded in custody, and four women have been released. Four apartments used as brothels have been closed.

The investigation began in 2023 with a complaint that warned of the existence of a criminal organization that could be carrying out activities compatible with trafficking in human beings for the purpose of sexual exploitation and other related crimes in several Spanish provinces. The various investigations launched since then by the investigators confirmed the presence of the criminal network based mainly in the province of Barcelona and with ramifications in Las Palmas and Seville.

By plane to Madrid for 4,000 euros

The criminal organization, through collaborators residing in the victims' countries of origin, recruited young and attractive women who lived in a state of need through fictitious job offers to work in Spain. Once persuaded, the women were transferred by air to Madrid, where they were informed of their true situation and initiated into the practice of prostitution to satisfy the debt acquired for the transfer, which could amount to 4,000 euros.

Available 24 hours a day

The victims were distributed among the different apartments that the organization had in the provinces of Barcelona, Seville and Las Palmas, where they had to be available to clients 24 hours a day, seven days a week, obtaining only 50% of the profits generated. Humiliated and threatened by the exploiters, they were forced to consume drugs and subjected to strict control that forced them to remain most of the day in the apartments, with limited outings to the outside.

The women had to live and sleep in those same apartments where they practiced prostitution, crowded in unhealthy conditions in a single room full of mattresses, suffering numerous cuts in essential supplies such as electricity or water, and paying for all expenses related to daily life themselves.

Labor exploitation in a “call center”

The criminal network had an important infrastructure in our country. In addition to the various apartments they owned dedicated to the practice of prostitution, there was another property that they had enabled as a “call center”, where up to seven women were exploited for labor in receiving calls from clients who requested the sexual services of the other victims of the exploiters.

During the development of the investigation, the agents have been able to verify that the network increased its profits with the sale to clients who came to their apartments of different narcotic substances - cocaine, tusi and amphetamines - as well as medications for erectile dysfunction. In turn, the investigators have detected that the main ringleader of the organization would have received more than 800,000 euros in the last four years through a mobile phone payment application, money allegedly coming from the illicit activities carried out.

During the operation, the entry and search of five homes has been carried out in which jewelry worth 30,000 euros, 4,530 euros in cash, 35 grams of cocaine, 337 grams of amphetamine, 11 grams of cannabis and 98 pills for erectile dysfunction have been seized.