THE Policia Nacional have rescued 26 women who were forced to work as prostitutes in Spain by a Chinese mafia gang.
The crew operated 11 brothels in Madrid, Valencia, Tarragona, Barcelona and Zaragoza, some in partnership with other groups.
Victims were constantly moved around the venues to maximise profits.
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The brothels were closed down by the Policia Nacional during their joint investigation with the Tax Agency with assistance from the ‘Our Rescue’ charity.
16 people have been arrested including the gang leader who has been placed in pre-trial detention.
Searches of the brothels yielded €35,000 in cash, several prohibited katana-type weapons, various narcotics, 24 mobile phones, two fake passports and multiple documents related to criminal activities.
The gang recruited women of Chinese and Latin American origin who were forced to become sex slaves.
They had to be permanently available for clients, which also included home visits.
The investigation started with the discovery of an apartment in Zaragoza which was used as a brothel.
Inquiries led to the discovery that a Chinese network was operating across several Spanish provinces.
As is common in such cases, victims were recruited via social media adverts and through Chinese instant messaging applications.
They were offered jobs as masseurs and stylists in Spain, and applicants who may have been living illegally in the country and were low on money, accepted the bogus job offers.
Women were also recruited from their countries of origin and got fake papers from the gang.
Once in Spain, they were supplied with residence and work cards under bogus identities- aimed to fool the police if they were inspected.
The mafia gang housed the victims in brothels, where they subjected them to a regime of slavery in which they had to practice prostitution 24 hours a day.
They were permanently monitored through video surveillance cameras.
Clients could not be refused and they did not have to use a condom.
All of the money made was handed over to their exploiters and at best, the women only received 50% of a transaction.
The cash was held back to pay for ‘debts’ incurred like the cost of identity documents and lodging.
Investigators found a well-organised structure of concealment of money to launder the profits without attracting the interest of authorities.
The Tax Agency probe focused on money laundering and courts agreed to their request to seize five properties worth over €500,000, two vehicles, and eight bank accounts.
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