SPANISH Police have broken up a huge prostitution ring in the Campo de Gibraltar.
A total of 15 men – all Romanians – were arrested for allegedly forcing young women to work in brothels.
In a series of raids – dubbed ‘Operation Damas’ – officers interviewed dozens of women apparently abused in this way.
Most of the young women had been enticed to Spain from Romania with the promise of well paid jobs.
However when they arrived in Spain they were quickly coerced into selling sex in a series of brothels and even on the streets.
Police in La Linea had been trailing the gang since December 2010 piecing together their modus operandi and trying to identify their victims.
The arrests come after one female victim filed a formal complaint before entering into a witness protection program.
The gang mainly operated in the Campo area – mainly San Roque and Sabanillas – as well as in Malaga province and Asturias in the north of Spain.
“Thanks to monitoring operations set up in and around the brothels, there is enough evidence to suggest that the gang was committing offences ranging from human trafficking to participation in a criminal organisation,” explained a police spokesman.
Click here to read more News from The Olive Press.
