A joint operation between Spain’s National Police and the Badalona local police has led to the arrest of four people accused of running a criminal network that forced 18 women into prostitution in two flats in the city.
The suspects face charges including human trafficking for sexual exploitation, coercive prostitution, membership of a criminal organisation, illegal possession of weapons, drug offences, unlawful detention and sexual assault.
The investigation began on 14 August, when a distressed woman phoned police from a flat in Badalona, reporting that an armed man was assaulting her friend. Officers rushed to the scene and found several Brazilian women, many of whom were in Spain without legal status. The victims revealed they had been lured with false job offers, only to be locked up and controlled by armed guards who forced them into prostitution, taking 33 per cent of their earnings.
On 16 September, police raided two brothels in Badalona, freeing all 18 victims. Officers also seized more than €42,000 in cash, two safes, weapons including an axe and baseball bats, drugs, and electronic devices. The victims have since been relocated to other Spanish cities for their protection.
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