BARCELONA’S 24-hour supermarkets are becoming a front for widespread human trafficking and forced labour, local police believe.

A total of 36 investigations into human trafficking have been launched by the Mossos d’Esquadra, the Catalan police force, since the start of 2025.

So far, 24 victims have been identified.

Five were related to labour exploitation while 14 of were victims of sexual exploitation.

A further two were for forced marriage and three related to people forced into criminal activities.

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Labour exploitation like this usually takes place in the small supermarkets and retail establishments that have multiplied throughout the city over the years, police say.

Due to the lack of oversight, victims tend to work endless hours, for lower wages than what is set by law.

The investigators have found that the networks of businesses are usually run by people from the same community or family environment.

In various cases, both the victims and the ones responsible were from Pakistani origin.

Sharing similar origins or community facilitates stronger control over victims.

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The identified victims came from countries including Colombia, Romania, Spain, China, Pakistan, Morocco, Mexico, Bangladesh and Honduras.

Sexual exploitation has become more difficult to investigate, as traditional brothels have been replaced by flats and private homes – making detection almost impossible. 

Digital tools to attract clients and manage criminal activity has moreover made it easier to organise criminal networks.

Notably, women have become more prominent in the network, carrying out tasks such as recruiting victims, surveilling and day-to-day management.

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Most of the time, these women had been victims themselves.

Most victims tend to be in a vulnerable position – they do not speak Catalan or Spanish, are unaware of their labour rights or are financially dependent on their exploiters.

In some cases, the victims had also indebted themselves to make the journey to Catalunya.

Criminal networks increasingly rely on social media to contact potential victims, build trust or offer false employment. 

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