The 18 Columbian women were imprisoned and forced to service men around the clock.
Eighteen Columbian gang members have been arrested in Spain for their involvement in human trafficking and pimping operations. The case involved the organized crime members imprisoning women, who were forced to work in shifts as prostitutes available to clients 24 hours a day.
The group, which was operated in Almendralejo and Arrecife, Spain, has already seen six of its members imprisoned, with the rest set to stand trial. They promised the women work and then entrapped them with debts up to €3,400 and withholding their ID until the debts were cleared.
In a coordinated effort involving the National Police, the Civil Guard, and the Colombian National Police, supported by INTERPOL, the gang was broken up. Eighteen victims, primarily Colombian, were freed after being recruited in Colombia with promises of a better life in Spain. Instead, they were forced into prostitution, according to a press release from Spain’s interior ministry.