Europol and the Spanish police have identified a gang involved in the sexual abuse of Ukrainian refugees. The suspects lured Ukrainian victims with promises of refugee visas, financial support, and work.
The criminal group, active since 2020, recruited its victims online, mainly through social media platforms, presenting themselves as managers in a recruitment agency. The victims were enticed with job offers for hostesses and front-of-house roles. The alleged traffickers then exploited the women, mainly Ukrainian and Belarusian nationals, in a prostitution club in El Ejido (Almería), Spain.
The victims were targeted based on their nationality and brought to Spain with tourist visas, under the pretense of legitimate work in the entertainment and tourism industries. Once in Spain, they were instructed to apply for temporary protection due to the war in Ukraine, which granted them residency in Spain. The young women were promised work authorization benefits that come with this protection.
The victims did not receive any employment contracts and were then exploited through prostitution activities. The criminal group generated vast illegal proceeds through the exploitation of a large number of women. The victims were accommodated in three homes provided by the same individual who managed the night club. By isolating the victims from the rest of society, the traffickers minimized the risks of police detection or escape, allowing them to restrain, control, and fully exploit the victims.
