A SUSPECTED member of a sex trafficking gang who tried to stay off the radar by moving from hotel to hotel has been arrested in Barcelona.
Mossos d’Esquadra officers arrested the 44-year-old on Friday, September 25, on a European Arrest Warrant issued by the Norwegian courts.
He is wanted in Norway for alleged membership of a criminal organisation that trafficked women for sexual exploitation.
Norwegian investigators believe the gang preyed on vulnerable migrant women who had no ties to Norway, spoke no Norwegian and very little English, and had no money, housing or support network in the country.
Some had children or relatives back home who relied on them financially.
The gang allegedly recruited the women into prostitution between September 2025 and August 2026, mainly in Lillestrøm and other towns in south-eastern Norway.
The suspect is accused of driving the victims around, housing them, advertising their services and pocketing the payments.
The gang also allegedly set the women’s working conditions and rented the flats where they saw clients.
Norwegian police had placed him in Catalunya, but tracking him down proved tricky.
He had no fixed address, moving between hotels and checking out first thing in the morning. He had also given police a false Barcelona address during previous identity checks.
Officers eventually identified someone close to him and put them under surveillance.
They spotted a high-end rental car linked to the suspect near a residence, and pounced as he got out of it..
He has since appeared before a judge and is awaiting extradition to Norway, where he faces up to 28 years in prison if convicted.
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