Agents of the National Police have dismantled a criminal group dedicated to human trafficking and the cultivation of marijuana and have freed three victims of sexual exploitation in Tarragona.
In the operation, five people belonging to this group have been arrested and two of them have been placed in provisional prison, as reported by the National Police in a press release.
One of the victims was hospitalized after suffering serious injuries from having been raped and beaten by some of the detainees. The criminal group forced women to prostitute themselves on the streets and control indoor marijuana plantations.
Those involved were part of a family clan of Romanian origin that, allegedly, was dedicated to recruiting and transferring to Spain women of the same nationality, deceived with the promise of a legal job in the cleaning or hospitality sectors.
The victims arrived in Barcelona by air and were then transferred to Barcelona, where they were forced to prostitute themselves both on public roads and in nightclubs. Additionally, they were required to marry members of the group so that criminal activity would not be detected during their travels.
The operation began following an investigation by the Romanian police and has received the support of the Attaché Office of the Romanian Embassy in Spain, Europol and the Romanian National Police.
The investigations and searches have taken place in the towns of Salou, L'ametlla de Mar and Miami Platja and four mobile phones and documentation have been seized.
