Forty held in police raid on prostitution ring

Police have arrested 40 people and freed dozens of women in a major operation against a prostitution network that authorities say exploited trafficking victims in the Valencia area.

The raid took place early on Tuesday in Valencia, Alzira and Borriana after months of surveillance by the National Police, according to the initial investigation. Officers say the group had built a chain of flats and houses used as brothels, with some also serving as accommodation for the women under control of the network.

Sources familiar with the case said the inquiry has so far led to the dismantling of five properties used for prostitution. The addresses had no exterior signs and clients were reportedly booked through specialist websites offering sex work.

The suspected ringleader is described in the investigation as a Colombian national, with several other men alleged to have acted as lieutenants and women allegedly overseeing the premises. Some of those women were themselves previously subjected to the same system, the sources said.

Victims allegedly moved between premises

Investigators believe the organisation shifted the women from house to house depending on the decisions of the leaders, increasing control over them and limiting their freedom of movement. The women were allegedly forced to have sex in extreme conditions, according to the investigation.

The case also includes allegations that clients were supplied with drugs, mainly cocaine, during the encounters. Police are treating the inquiry as one involving human trafficking for sexual exploitation, promoting prostitution, organised crime and drug trafficking.

The women were said to be mostly from Colombia. Police have not said how many victims were identified in total, but the operation is described as having freed dozens of them.

Court supervision continues

Officers obtained search warrants from the Valencia court overseeing the case after gathering evidence. The properties searched included one on Avenida de Carcaixent in Alzira, one in Borriana and three in the city of Valencia, including one on the edge of the Torrefiel and Els Orriols districts.

The court has not ordered any of the premises closed for the time being, according to the sources. The arrested suspects are due to appear before judges in Valencia, Alzira and Vila-real, which covers the Borriana judicial district.

The operation comes weeks after another anti-trafficking investigation in the wider region, underlining the continued focus on organised prostitution networks along the coast.