Costa Blanca
48 arrested for sexually exploiting 1,000 women in Alicante clubs

A criminal organisation reportedly involved in the trafficking of women for the purpose of sexual exploitation in strip clubs in the province of Alicante has been dismantled by the National Police. 48 women have been released and 48 people have been arrested as a result of the operation (two in Murcia and 46 in Alicante, six of whom have been placed in provisional detention).
Over 1,000 women are thought to have been exploited by the network in the past 12 months. False job offers deceived the victims, who were primarily from South America, into travelling to Spain.
Three strip clubs have been shut down by the National Police after conducting eight house searches in Alicante. They have also blocked 938,000 euros in bank accounts, immobilised 17 properties valued at 1,313,087 euros, confiscated eight forbidden weapons, and confiscated over 150,000 euros in cash, among other items.
A complaint on the National Police’s phone line 900 105 090, which, together with the email Trata@policia.es, encourages citizen cooperation and the private and anonymous reporting of human trafficking-related crimes, sparked the inquiry.
The victims were tricked by phoney work offers in Spain’s cleaning and beauty services industries in their home countries, primarily Colombia and Venezuela. The victims were brought to the clubs to be sexually exploited, but the offer did not materialise when they arrived.
Investigators were able to verify the existence of this transnational criminal organisation in Spain, which was situated in the province of Alicante and was operated by two Colombian women and a Spanish national, thanks to the many investigations that were started at that time. The latter spent his weekends with his family in the Murcia region and his weekdays managing his business in Alicante.
The organization’s structure included two tiers in addition to the three leaders: the taxi drivers who were responsible for driving the women on their outings to give home services and the people in charge of the strip clubs.
Clubs in Orihuela, Elche, and Alicante
The criminal group operated three strip clubs in Alicante, Elche, and Orihuela, which they attempted to pass off as hostels or guest residences in order to conceal their operations. Through the sexual exploitation of numerous foreign women in precarious situations, the network had established a commercial structure intended to benefit itself.
The victims, who were residents of the strip clubs themselves, were compelled to work around the clock, were constantly watched by members of the criminal organisation using sophisticated image and sound video surveillance systems, and had limited freedom of movement because they were only allowed to leave the house for two hours at a time.
They received no respite at all during the first week of labour, and starting in the second week, they were only allowed to have one day off under the supervision of the defunct organisation. According to investigations, the network took at least 40% of each service that the women provided; these funds were then handed directly to the organization’s leaders.
In order to draw in more customers, keep from getting arrested, and mimic a legitimate hospitality company operation, the victims were transferred between the several clubs. The sale of drugs to customers in the various strip clubs might also be detected.
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Costa Blanca
Sticky Vicky’s daughter quits mum’s iconic Benidorm show

Adhesive the stage act has been sensationally abandoned by Vicky’s daughter, who has followed in her late mother’s footsteps, thereby leaving behind her family’s Benidorm legacy.
The unexpected decision was made after María Gadea Aragón assumed responsibility for the adult-themed magic performances following the passing of her mother, Victoria María Aragón Gadea, in 2023 at the age of 80.
María, who had been employing her mother’s stage identity in the well-known Spanish resort, has now discontinued her performances after a decade on stage.
María performed frequently at venues including the Palladium, Zodiaco, and Rockerfellers, as well as Benidorm which is a popular destination for British expatriates and vacationers.
Des Bellamy-Wright, an employee at the Benidorm Palladium, verified that María is no longer employed in the lively Spanish city. Des stated, “Sticky Vicky is no longer operational in Benidorm.” The ‘Carmen Snake – Sticky Show’ is a similarly entertaining program that is broadcast every night at 12:45 a.m. “
The official reason for Maria’s retirement was not disclosed, and her final performance was in November 2024.
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Elche’s H&M shop closing

The Swedish retail chain H&M announced in 2024 that it would be reducing the number of stores and employment it has in Spain due to “organisational, productive, and economic” reasons. Around 50 layoffs were the result of the closure of stores in the L’Aljub retail centres in Elche, Ociopía in Orihuela, and Habaneras in Torrevieja, which had consequences for the province of Alicante.
Additionally, these were the sole instances in the Valencian Community that were impacted. The Torrevieja store was the first to shut its doors in May 2024 since that time. The Orihuela store was subsequently closed on September 14th of the same year. Currently, the Elche store has shuttered its doors. The facility was closed to the public on March 14th, following its final day of operation on March 11th. It will be entirely shut down on March 22nd. Approximately 20 employees are being laid off at this Elche store. It is the final establishment in the province of Alicante that will not reopen, and the circumstances of the dismissal were negotiated in October. The employees have departed the company with an agreement as a result of these negotiations, according to Yolanda de la Casa, the general secretary of the CCOO Services Federation in Alicante.
The dismissal terms that were established following the October negotiations were 45 days until 2012 and 33 days until the present. A gratuity of 3,500 euros was granted for the first five years, 4,000 euros for the next ten years, and a maximum of 4,500 euros for the subsequent years.
Furthermore, three relocations have occurred among the 50 individuals who were laid off in the province, spanning Elche, Orihuela, and Torrevieja. Lely Fernández of UGT l’Alacantí-La Marina informed this newspaper that these were part-time employees from the Habaneras shopping centre in Torrevieja who were transferred to the La Zenia shopping centre, which continues to operate and is accessible.
H&M initiated 2024 by announcing the closure of 28 stores and approximately 588 collective redundancies. The figure was reduced to 521 reductions in a subsequent revision.
The Torrevieja store closed its doors to the public on May 17th, 2024, and the lease expired on May 24th, never to be reopened. Nevertheless, numerous employees at this establishment were granted the opportunity to relocate to other nearby stores that were still operational. In September 2024, Ociopía followed suit, and Elche followed suit in March 2025.
The H&M group operates over 100 stores and employs nearly 4,000 individuals in the country. This decision was made by the Scandinavian company in order to “adapt and perfect” its stores in a “changing” shopping environment for its consumers. Additionally, Spain would be responsible for 17% of the brand’s global closures, as indicated by the data that the company disclosed months ago when it presented its 2023 financial year.
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Man stole fire extinguishers to sell as scrap metal

A 20-year-old male is currently under investigation by the Guardia Civil for the purported theft of ten fire extinguishers. The fire extinguishers were discovered by Seprona officers during an inspection of a scrap metal establishment in Torrevieja. The store manager and the criminal are both the subject of an investigation.
The fire extinguishers, which were in near-new condition and completely charged, were discovered by the Servicio de Protección a la Naturaleza (Seprona) officers during the inspection. The investigation was initiated due to the fact that this material is “uncommon” in this form of business, as explained by sources from the Armed Forces.
Upon discovering the fire extinguishers, the officers enquired about the scrapyard manager’s documentation regarding the extinguishers’ arrival. The manager responded that he did not possess any proof of ownership. Additionally, he disclosed that a woman and her son had abandoned them there without his permission.
The company responsible for maintaining the fire extinguishers was identified by Seprona officers after they analysed the evidence and proof acquired. This verified that the extinguishers were located in a building in Torrevieja. The missing equipment was reported by the property manager of this community of proprietors shortly thereafter.
Fire extinguishers were recovered
Officers were permitted to confiscate the fire extinguishers and transport them to the Torrevieja Civil Guard barracks as a result of the formal complaint. Upon verification of their origin, they were returned to their legitimate owners.
The individuals implicated have been identified as a result of the operation. The 20-year-old man who is supposed to have stolen the fire extinguishers is being investigated for theft, while the 23-year-old proprietor of the scrap yard is being investigated for receiving stolen goods.
The Guardia Civil emphasises the necessity of reporting these types of incidents and reminds all individuals of the significance of doing so. In order to prevent the acquisition of stolen material, scrap metal dealers must establish rigorous controls, such as document checks on sellers and items received.
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