National
Spanish police break up network which used Russian women for prostitution in Spain
By h.b.
Apr 8, 2008 - 1:43 PM

Spanish National Police have broken up what they describe as the largest network to traffic in Russian woman, exploiting them as prostitutes.

More than 70 police took part in what was the third part of an operation, codenamed Zarpa, which started in November last year and which now sees a total of 76 people accused in the provinces of Almería, Granada, Lleida and Girona. 60 of the women were arrested in different roadside clubs, Carambola, Canela, Manhattan and H2, all in El Ejido and Roquetas de Mar in Almería.

The Ministry for the Interior says that a total of 400 women have now been arrested for being in Spain illegally as part of the operation, all of them victims of sexual exploitation. All the women were placed in flats in Spain which were tightly controlled and supervised. In one three bed room flat police found as many as 13 beds.

Police say that the gang sent more than two million euro back to Russia since 2006. Investigations have shown that the gang was controlled by married couples of Spaniards and Russians, and that the movement of money obtained was never in amounts larger than 3,000 € at a time, so as not to attract attention from those looking for the money laundering taking place. A whole network of middlemen and companies were used to move the capital, and several properties are thought to have been purchased with the proceeds. Firearms, luxury vehicles and cash were also seized in the operation which continues open.