Police arrest fake shaman who tricked women in Marbella into working as prostitutes in 'prison-like' conditions

The alleged suspect threatened to hurt them or their families through esoteric rituals if the victims protested, according to police investigators

Irene Quirante

Malaga

Monday, 26 February 2024, 18:12

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A man who purported to be a shaman has been arrested for allegedly recruiting vulnerable women, who didn't have official papers, as prostitutes in Marbella.

A woman who allegedly managed the brothel where they worked was also arrested in El Ejido in Almería province in Andalucía. SUR can confirm the male suspect, of Cuban origin, met the women - who were mostly young and South American - in Marbella and gained their trust by convincing them he had found them work in Almeria.

But the detained man was an alleged pimp and at least 13 women realised they had been hired instead to work as prostitutes, according to investigators. Once there, they were locked up in a flat that functioned as a brothel and were forced to prostitute themselves. They lived in prison-like conditions where they were forced to stay 24 hours a day and constantly available for clients, police said.

The alleged suspect threatened to hurt them or their families through esoteric rituals if the women protested, according to police investigators. The arrested woman subjected the victims to strict control, including setting up visual surveillance so she could watch them at all times and an audio system so she could give them instructions while she wasn't there.

Victims also did not have the freedom to turn down clients who asked for sex, and also were not allowed to decline clients even if they wanted to have sex without protection, according to investigators. The 13 women who worked at the brothel had to take turns sleeping on a couple of sofas while the rooms were reserved for sex.

One of the victims told police she put up with the horrid conditions so as not to return to her home country, where she was persecuted because of her sexual orientation. Others were so desperate to escape they considered accepting "offers" from clients who offered them accommodation in exchange for becoming their sex slaves. The victims have been placed in various institutional protection services to help them start a new life.

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