Gang that enslaved South American women through fake job offers dismantled in Catalonia
Fifteen members of an international network have been arrested after luring women in South America with false work promises and forcing them into prostitution in flats in Barcelona and Tarragona.
Gang that enslaved South American women through fake job offers dismantled in Catalonia
An operation by the National Police Force has resulted in the arrest of fifteen individuals linked to a human trafficking network operating in the Barcelona metropolitan area and in Tarragona. Those arrested, of various nationalities, were engaged in recruiting women in South American countries to subsequently sexually exploit them in Spanish territory.
Everything began in late 2025, when one of the victims managed to escape and went to the authorities. According to her account, recruiters contacted candidates through social media profiles, offering them stable employment as carers for the elderly. The promise included paid travel, accommodation, and a decent salary. However, the reality was different: upon arriving on Spanish soil, the women discovered that they were required to engage in prostitution in apartments controlled by the organisation.
The gang handled all arrangements for the victims' arrival: it purchased airline tickets, managed hotel reservations, processed health insurance policies, and provided cash. They also gave them detailed instructions on how to respond to border agents in order to pass themselves off as tourists convincingly.
Once settled in Catalonia, they moved them to properties distributed between the Catalan capital and the Tarragona region. There they imposed an initial debt of around five thousand euros that the women were required to pay off through sexual services. The criminal structure set rates, organised meetings with clients, and strictly monitored earnings. To prevent the women from fleeing or reporting them, they threatened to harm their families abroad.
The network's internal coordination was based on numerous telephone lines and instant messaging applications, tools they used to move victims between flats, manage advertising on contact sites, and maintain communication amongst themselves.
The police operation culminated in six simultaneous raids. In five of the properties searched, twenty-four women were found in situations of exploitation. The arrests took place in Barcelona—fourteen people—and in Tarragona—one more.
During the searches, officers located almost one hundred and seventeen thousand euros in cash, hidden in secret compartments that required breaking up furniture and even walls to access. They also seized around twenty mobile phones, tablets, and electronic devices which, according to investigators, were used to attract new victims, organise services, and communicate between network members.
Among the seized documentation, there appeared rental contracts for properties used as brothels, records of domestic and international bank transfers, receipt books, and handwritten notebooks containing details of services provided, prices, payments received, and accounting balances of the criminal activity.
Additionally, the raids yielded envelopes with white powder—presumably cocaine—, cannabis buds, pills for sexual potency, payment terminal receipts, and papers relating to transfers of funds to third parties. Officers also found a prohibited bladed weapon: a knuckle-duster equipped with an electroshock mechanism.
_Source: Spanish Ministry of the Interior_
Source: Google News ES — Crime (es)