Alex Trelinski
AUTHORITIES have smashed a Valencia-based gang that sexually exploited women by forcing them to work in brothels camouflaged as massage parlours.
162 victims have been freed in a joint operation involving the Guardia Civil, the Policia Nacional, and Customs Surveillance.
37 people have been arrested- 29 of them in the Valencian Community, with nine put into pre-trial detention.
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The gang had also expanded their operation to the Barcelona, Malaga, Murcia and Tarragona areas.
An investigation started after complaints from three exploited women in different parts of Spain.
The criminal crew recruited vulnerable females- mainly from South America- who had no residency or work permits and forced them into prostitution around Spain.
Properties were bought or rented like family homes or commercial premises which were refurbished to be used as brothels..
Victims were crammed into beds in small rooms with poor ventilation and sub-standard living conditions.
The women were only allowed out for two hours a day in the morning and had to be available permanently for clients.
The gang leaders kept on a tight lid on their properties by monitoring the victims live via video surveillance systems.
Each building had managers on duty for 24 hours a day.
They were responsible for controlling the women, charging customers and providing them with drugs on demand, as well as answering phone lines linked to prostitution adverts via specialist websites.
Fifty percent of every service provided went to the criminals, and the other half to the women, but the gang imposed extra charges to get more money from them like being late for a client or abusive board and lodging payments.
The victims were moved around different brothels at the whim of the criminal network- especially if new premises were acquired.
The gang operated in three distinct levels, with the top section run by family members who owned or rented properties and took the largest amount of money.
The second tier involved trusted people who supervised premises, collected money, and co-ordinated managers.
The lowest rung were managers who monitored the victims, drivers, builders who converted the buildings, and drug traffickers.
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