Police in Spain have arrested 48 people in connection with a suspected human trafficking ring – believed to have lured more than 1,000 women to the country for sex work.
Armed officers from the Policia Nacional carried out raids across Alicante and Murcia in southeastern Spain, the force said in a statement on Sunday.
They found evidence the women, who were mainly from Venezuela and Colombia, were made to believe they had beauty or cleaning jobs.
However, on arrival in Spain they were forced into the sex trade – only allowed out for two hours a day and kept under video surveillance.
“They were transferred to clubs where they were sexually exploited and forced to work all hours,” the statement added.
Read more from Sky News
Pope sends message from hospital bed
Voting underway in German election
‘The Fly’ recaptured after months on the run
Two Colombian women and a Spaniard were among the dozens detained.
Three strip clubs were also shut down as part of the operation, with officers seizing 150,000 euros (£124,000) in cash and bank accounts totalling 938,000 euros (£777,000).
Six of the suspects were remanded in custody and the rest bailed to appear in court at a later date.
