The Spanish National Police have dismantled a major criminal organisation in Malaga that has forced hundreds of women into prostitution, authorities said Wednesday.
Law enforcement arrested 25 people and freed at least 11 victims in the operation. About €150,000 in cash and around 1.2 kg of cocaine were also confiscated.
Most of the victims were Colombian and lured to the Costa del Sol with promises of work in beauty salons. Once there, gang members forced the victims into prostitution in four brothels in the city, according to National Police investigators.
The exploited women — said to be more than 500 — were told they accrued debt in travel expenses and accommodation. They were then made to work at the brothels around the clock and were often forced to practice unprotected sex.
The gang also allegedly sold drugs in the brothels, encouraging its clients to use them, which led to cases of physical abuse of the women working there, according to law enforcement agencies.
The criminal group is said to have made around €1.5 million a year through the scheme.
