One hundred years in prison for gang that prostituted foreign women under 'abusive' conditions in capital of Costa del Sol

A Malaga provincial court has sentenced 14 people to a total of 99 years and six months in prison for their involvement in a network led by two Ecuadorian siblings, a woman and man, who sexually exploited foreign women in flats located across the capital of the Costa del Sol. Their crimes include people and drug trafficking.

According to the ruling, the sister was at the top of the hierarchical structure of the organisation, which is why she will serve the longest sentence of 32 years. Together with her brother, his partner and a third woman, who was the head of the so-called 'mamis', she collaborated to financially profit from the sexual exploitation business. Together, they ran four brothels, where they kept the victims in "harmful" and "abusive" conditions.

The court considers it proven that the ringleader arranged the transfer of two women from Colombia without informing them beforehand that they would be forced into prostitution. Aware of their financial difficulties and family responsibilities, she promised them that they would work in beauty salons or as companions in Malaga city, to which they agreed.

The accused organised their travel, telling them they could repay the cost of their tickets gradually and that she had found them accommodation. Later, she forced them to delete the messages exchanged with her and instructed them on how to behave on arrival in Spain to avoid arousing suspicion.

The victims found out the true purpose of them being in Malaga only when they arrived to the brothels. Far from their country, with no support networks and no money, the victims were left with no other option but to surrender.

These were not the only women exploited by the network, which subjected them to extreme exploitation and strict control through a system of penalties. They were forced to be available 24 hours a day. If they were sleeping when a client arrived, they had to be ready in a matter of five minutes to attend to them. They only had two hours a day and one day a week to rest.

The victims were not given the option to refuse any type of service, not even when the 'clients' demanded marathon practices, without condoms or without the minimum hygienic conditions. Moreover, they were continuously monitored by cameras installed in the flats.

According to the investigation, they had to hand over 50% of their income to the organisation. However, they would often not even receive their allocated share due to a harsh system of fines imposed on them. If they were late when returning after a break or took more than five minutes to appear before 'clients', they were fined. Similarly, they were deducted money if they did not clean the houses or if they did not leave the room at the end of the contracted time.

The sister was the one who was giving instructions to the other members of the network. One of the 'mamis' was "her right hand". The 'mamis' were responsible for supplying drugs to the clients and ensuring that the rules were complied with, although they were also subjected to strict conditions in exchange for low wages.

The brother was also involved in the day-to-day running of the brothels. He was also in charge of the accounts and for supplying the different brothels with the drugs, mostly cocaine and Viagra.

The prosecution initially requested that the two siblings be sentenced to 128 years in prison. The court, however, has imposed 32 years in prison on the sister, who has been convicted of two crimes of human-trafficking and another two related to prostitution. She has also been found guilty of an offence against public health and a further offence of membership of a criminal organisation.

Her brother has been sentenced to 22 and a half years for four crimes related to prostitution, drug-trafficking and membership of a criminal organisation. His girlfriend has been sentenced to nine and a half years for a crime against public health and for being part of the organisation, while the fourth defendant, the head of the 'mamis', will have to serve 15 years and six months in prison for four crimes related to prostitution and for a crime against public health and membership of a criminal organisation.

The other ten defendants, who were facing 20 years in prison, have been sentenced to two years following the agreement reached with the prosecution. They were granted suspension of their prison terms, meaning they will not serve time behind bars.

The ruling is not yet final and has been appealed before the High Court of Justice of Andalucía (TSJA) by the defence of the two siblings. In their appeal, they request the nullification of the judgment and acquittal of both, alleging violations of their right to the presumption of innocence and to due process, among others.

The police operation, carried out by the National Police in Malaga, began following three reports made to the anonymous and confidential hotline (900 10 50 90) and email address (trata@policia.es). These are part of the National Police plan against human-trafficking for sexual exploitation, which aims to encourage public cooperation and reporting of such crimes.