Police free 17 victims of sexual exploitation in Cártama and Mijas

The police have arrested several members of a criminal gang who they believe have been responsible for sexual exploitation and prostitution, and have freed 17 women after searching a club in Cártama and a house in Mijas. They also confiscated different drugs, 1,915 euros in cash and a large amount of documentation.

The investigation began in April last year when the National Police received reports that a hostel in Cártama was in fact being used for illicit activities. The officers discovered that the premises had no licence to operate as a hostel, and that it was being run as a brothel by a criminal organisation.

They also learned that some of the women who had been at the hostel had been taken to a house in Mijas which was also used for prostitution and some of them were being forced to work for 24 hours at a time.

The gang had installed strict security measures, using CCTV cameras in both establishments and issuing passwords to gain entry to the property in Mijas.

The police investigation determined that the gang worked as two companies, neither of which employed any staff or were registered with Social Security.

After searching the hostel in Cártama and the house in Mijas, the police freed 17 women who had allegedly been trafficked and forced into prostitution.

The National Police have issued a reminder that they have a special phone number for reporting suspected cases of this type, which is 900 105 090, and email address trata@policia.es. On Twitter, they can be contacted via @policia and the hashtag #contralatrata.