In a joint operation carried out across several Spanish provinces, agents from the National Police, the Guardia Civil and Vigilancia Aduanera (Customs Surveillance) have rescued 162 women who were allegedly being sexually exploited by a criminal network.
In a statement released on Monday, the police said that the organisation had acquired or rented various properties, converting them into brothels.
A total of 37 people have been arrested in Valencia, Málaga, Murcia, Castellón and Alicante. Nine of the detainees have been placed in pre-trial detention. Authorities conducted 39 searches across five provinces.
The investigation began after three victims came forward, reporting that they had been sexually exploited by multiple individuals in various towns across Spain. Based on their testimony, investigators uncovered a large criminal network primarily operating in the three provinces of the Valencian Community, with recent expansion into Barcelona, Málaga, Murcia and Tarragona.
The group allegedly recruited South American women both in Spain and in their countries of origin. Most of the victims were undocumented and in vulnerable situations. They were coerced into prostitution at multiple locations across Spain.
To carry out their activities, the organisation either directly acquired or leased properties through front companies, disguising them as massage parlours to give an impression of legality.
These properties – mainly single-family homes or commercial premises – were then renovated by members of the network to include makeshift rooms where the women were forced to work and sleep, often sharing the same beds used to service clients. The locations were kept locked and frequently had poor ventilation and substandard living conditions.
Each site had on-site managers working around the clock. These individuals oversaw the women, collected money from clients, supplied drugs upon request, and answered phone lines tied to online sex ads, reporting back to the higher-level operatives.
According to the police statement, the women were only allowed out for two hours per day, always in the morning, and were otherwise expected to be on call at all times.
The main suspects monitored both the women and the premises in real time using surveillance cameras installed inside each brothel. Half of the proceeds from each service went to the organisation; the other half went to the women, although they were often fined for various infractions.
Victims were frequently rotated between different locations based on the organisation’s needs. Authorities confirmed that, beyond the original locations, new brothels had been opened in Catalonia, Murcia and Málaga.
Investigators identified a three-tier hierarchy within the network. At the top were the ringleaders – linked by family and romantic relationships – who owned or leased the properties and collected the largest share of profits.
The second tier consisted of trusted associates responsible for supervising the premises, collecting profits, and coordinating the on-site managers. The third level included those managers, as well as drivers, renovators and drug suppliers.
The property searches included the homes of the network’s eleven top members and the brothels themselves. Authorities seized €141,000 in cash and three vehicles.
Parallel to the criminal investigation, the Regional Customs Surveillance unit of Spain’s Tax Agency in Valencia launched a financial probe into the organisation’s assets and possible money laundering. Investigators have identified the alleged individuals behind the shell companies used to channel the network’s illicit profits.
This financial investigation remains on-going. Authorities are analysing banking data and evidence seized during the raids, including accounting ledgers detailing the earnings of each brothel and computers used by the ringleaders and their close associates to manage the network’s finances.
Authorities have also frozen multiple assets – including over 60 bank accounts – belonging to the suspects, with the aim of securing potential forfeiture of those properties and funds.
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🚩Liberadas 162 mujeres explotadas sexualmente en varias provincias de🇪🇸
🔹Hay 37 detenidos en #Valencia, #Málaga, #Murcia, #Castellón y #Alicante
🔹Las víctimas sólo podían salir 2 horas al día y debían estar siempre disponibles
🔹Con #GuardiaCivil y #AgenciaTributaria pic.twitter.com/TUZryMOYdJ
— Policía Nacional (@policia) July 22, 2025
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