Latest news More than 150 sexually exploited women freed in Spain
A major blow against forced prostitution in Spain: In a large-scale police operation against a suspected gang of human traffickers, 162 sexually exploited women have been freed in various regions.
22.07.2025, 13:32
SDA
37 people have been arrested, the Spanish national police announced. Pre-trial detention has been ordered for nine of these suspects.
According to official information, most of the victims come from South America. In vacation regions such as Valencia, Alicante, Málaga and Murcia, the highly organized gang is said to have converted apartments and business premises into "massage parlours", where they monitored the women around the clock and forced them into prostitution. The victims lived in catastrophic conditions, had hardly any freedom and had to hand over a large part of their earnings.
Victims were often locked up and monitored around the clock
The women were recruited both directly in their countries of origin and in Spain. Most of them lived in poverty and had neither residence nor work permits in Spain. In the brothels, they "slept crowded together in bunk beds or directly in the same bed in which they received their clients". Most of the rooms were locked.
During 39 searches, 141,000 euros (around 131,000 Swiss francs) in cash and three vehicles were seized. The investigation is ongoing. According to the police, there are also allegations of money laundering. More than 60 bank accounts and numerous assets have been frozen, they said.
