THE POLICIA NACIONAL have dismantled an Alicante gang who sexually exploited women after bringing them over from Columbia with false promises of jobs.
Nine people have been arrested with two ringleaders jailed and 21 victims freed.
Investigations started when one of the victims escaped from an Alicante flat where she was being held and contacted the Policia Nacional at Alicante-Elche Airport to ask for help
She told officers she was recruited in Columbia with the promise she would work in Spain as a kitchen assistant- something she was keen to do as the job paid far more than she could earn at home.
The reality though was that she was forced to work as a prostitute to pay off the cost of the trip funded by the criminals, and they then charged extortionate interest on the sum plus expenses that had nothing to do with the journey.
The victim described the ‘deplorable’ conditions where she had to work as a prostitute which was akin to slavery as she had to be available at all times for clients in 24-hour shifts, seven days a week and was not allowed to go outside.
One of the women was forced to prostitute herself as a transexual cross-dresser so that she could charge more for her services.
The gang carried out the exploitation in flats in Alicante with branches in Murcia and Valencia.
The whole enterprise was conducted via a travel agency they owned which allowed them to bring in the women from Columbia as tourists.
The sheer volume of business netted the criminal enterprise around €21,000 per month which allowed the gang to live in luxury homes and own high-end cars.
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