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Spanish police break up Chinese trafficking ring

The gang deceived young women, capturing them with the aim of selling them into prostitution in Spain, Greece and the United States

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Spanish police have broken up a trafficking ring. Photo: Shutterstock

Spanish police on Friday said they had broken up an international Chinese trafficking ring that smuggled women into Spain and the United States for sexual exploitation, making 30 arrests and freeing 33 victims.

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Police said in a statement that they began investigating in 2022 and uncovered a well-organised and violent international criminal network of Chinese origin known as the “Tian Xia She triad”.

The gang deceived the young women promising them a better future in Europe and captured them with the aim of selling them into prostitution rings in Greece, Spain and the United States.

The victims, all of Asian origin and including a minor, were forced to work as prostitutes “in conditions bordering on slavery” in Spain to pay off debts of up to 20,000 euros (US$21,000) to their exploiters.

The gang obliged them to remain available for prostitution 24 hours a day without protection, prevented them from leaving the brothels and in some cases forced them to abort through surgery.

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The network also made large profits by charging people, mostly from China, to smuggle them to Europe through the Balkans with a view to reaching the United States via Central America.

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