The suspects lured Ukrainian victims with promises of refugee visas, financial support and jobs, Europol reports.
Spanish police in May this year arrested 5 suspects, identified 14 victims, and searched 5 locations. Two luxury cars, cash, electronic equipment, service employment contracts and various other documents related to the club where the victims were exploited were seized.
The criminal group, operating since 2020, recruited their victims online, mainly through social media, posing as managers of a recruitment agency. Victims were lured with offers of hostess and admin jobs. The alleged traffickers then exploited women, mostly Ukrainian women, but also citizens of Belarus, in a prostitution club in El Ejido (Almeria), Spain.
The victims were selected on the basis of their nationality and brought to Spain on tourist visas and promised legitimate work in the entertainment and tourism industry. Upon arrival in Spain, they were instructed to apply for temporary protection due to the war in Ukraine. The victims were then granted residence permits in Spain. The young women were promised work benefits related to this protection.
However, the suspects deceived them. The victims did not receive any labour contract and then they were exploited through prostitution. The criminal group made huge illegal profits by exploiting a large number of women. The victims were housed in three houses provided by the same person who ran the nightclub. By isolating the victims from the rest of society, the traffickers tried to minimise the risk of the women being detected by the police or escaping, which allowed them to contain, control and fully exploit the victims.
Europol facilitated the exchange of information and provided ongoing analytical support to the investigation. On the day of the operation, Europol deployed an expert to the site to cross-check real-time intelligence and provide experts with possible leads and technical support.
