The Brigadas de Extranjera based in  Motril and Granada, as well as the Policía Nacional in Madrid, have been investigating a gang of people traffickers dedicated to forced prostitution.

This has led to a raid on a night club in Motril and the liberation of several Ukrainian woman who had been tricked into prostitution here in Spain with false promises of employment. Once here, they were forced to prostitute themselves in order to pay off the ‘costs accrued’ by the gang on their behalf.

The said night club is the  Zafiro Pub, situated in the Vadillo trading estate more or less behind the ITV centre. The club has since been closed down by judicial order after six people were arrested following the police raid.

The modus operandi of the gang was the often-used system of placing adverts on websites offering jobs for women interested in working as azafatas (event hostesses) or au pairs in domestic service. Travelling expenses and accommodation would be covered by loans which they had to pay back, but once here in Spain, it was made clear that it would be through selling their bodies. Furthermore, the gang would fine them if they did not considering that they were ‘working enough.’

The women flew into Málaga Airport as tourists and were picked up by the owner of the club and taken to two dwelling where they were strictly controlled.

The victims were not allowed out of the club without an escort and were subjected to beatings and other vexations.

The investigation started off with telephone taps, following suspects and staking out the club. When the net was drawn in, the police also arrested two persons who falsified entry stamps into the Schengen Area of Europe. Despite these tight controls over their victims, three of them managed to escape and report their situation to the police.

The raid was carried out in November but has had a gagging order placed on the case until now. The police  also netted 16,740 euros, as well as two high-range vehicles and abundant documentation on the premises of the club and two dwellings.

Editorial comment: off with their pods!

(News: Motril, Costa Tropical, Granada, Andalucia)