Three individuals have been arrested in Alicante, five in Albacete, and one in Valencia for coercing South American women into prostitution in an Alicante flat and extorting clients for up to 3,000 euros to prevent them from being reported.
The nine individuals apprehended were members of a criminal organisation that specialised in the exploitation and extortion of clients. They threatened them with personal intimidation and physical violence.
The operation was initiated in mid-2024 as a result of numerous anonymous alerts received by the National Police’s Trafficking Victim Support Service.
In Alicante, the communications forewarned of the presence of a brothel where numerous women were purportedly coerced into prostitution. Additionally, they stated that the property was utilised as a narcotic sales point.
The investigation uncovered that the criminal network was also engaged in the extortion of individuals who viewed advertisements for sexual services offered by the women, which were published on digital platforms.
“Under the threat of disclosing their status as consumers of these services to their closest associates, the organisation requested payments ranging from 300 to 3,000 euros.” The police clarified that the threats included physical assault or the murder of the victims or their family members if they refused to pay.
These extortions were perpetrated through telephone lines that were contracted with fraudulently obtained documents, which were obtained through theft or loss. This significantly impeded the work of the police. The illicit use of these lines resulted in their immediate shutdown.
The operation culminated in the search of a property in Albacete, where the ringleaders resided: two brothers and their mother. Despite not being directly engaged in the illicit activities, she received the money.
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