Ibiza sex trafficking: 25 women freed, four arrested
Ibiza, in Spain’s Balearic Islands: the Spanish Civil Guard frees 25 women from sexual exploitation and arrests four people in an operation that ends on 5 October. Officers say they have broken up a suspected trafficking ring based on the island. The four people arrested are suspected of forcing women into prostitution, drug trafficking and money laundering.
False jobs and a claimed debt
The group offered women, mainly Venezuelans aged 18 to 25, jobs in hospitality or as manicurists, investigators say. Once the women arrived in Spain, group members met them at the airport and took some of their belongings and cash. At properties linked to the group, the women were told they owed about 5,000 euros and had to repay it through sexual services.
According to the Civil Guard, the group kept the women under tight control. It used their irregular immigration status to frighten them and make it harder for them to seek medical care or help from police and support services. Officers found surveillance cameras used to track their movements. The group contacted clients through messaging apps and presented the women at points in the nightlife area of Playa d’en Bossa, Ibiza. Women were also taken from there to clients’ homes.
Four searches on Ibiza
The group operated mainly on Ibiza during the summer and moved part of its activity to the Spanish mainland after the season ended, investigators found. They say it also made money selling drugs and sexual enhancers to clients. Officers are examining whether companies linked to the group’s leader were used to launder the proceeds.
After months of investigation, the Civil Guard searched four homes linked to the group across Ibiza. Officers seized nearly 120,000 euros in cash believed to come from sexual exploitation, along with drugs, electronic devices and surveillance material. A section of the Eivissa court dealing with violence against women is overseeing the investigation.
More on this topic: Traffic on Mallorca
Topics: Police · Housing · Culture · Traffic · Politics
Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com