Redaccion
There are 14 people detained, including the four leaders of the criminal organization
The National Police have rescued 23 victims who were exploited for labor in manicure establishments in the provinces of Alicante, Balearic Islands, Barcelona, Seville, and Vizcaya. Consequently, there are 14 people detained in Seville (five), Palma de Mallorca (four), Benidorm (four), and Bilbao (one), including the four leaders of a criminal organization, with one of them being provisionally imprisoned.
The agents have dismantled this network dedicated, allegedly, to human trafficking and labor exploitation. The majority of the victims, of Vietnamese nationality, were recruited in their home country and transported to Spain with a residence and work permit obtained fraudulently in Hungary.
Once here, the victims were forced to work more than ten hours a day, seven days a week, without receiving any salary until they paid off the debt owed to the criminal network, which could amount to €20,000.
As a result of the pressure they were under, one of the victims attempted suicide, as reported by the National Police in a statement on Saturday.
The police investigation began in April 2024 when several workers who could be victims of labor exploitation were detected in different manicure establishments in the city of Palma de Mallorca.
In this context, the inquiries initiated by the agents focused on the owner of these businesses, who, in turn, was linked to the leaders of other establishments located in the provinces of Alicante, Barcelona, Seville, and Vizcaya, allowing the investigators to confirm the existence of this criminal organization specialized in human trafficking and labor exploitation in manicure establishments.
FROM VIETNAM TO SPAIN
The majority of the victims were recruited in Vietnam and transported by air to Hungary, where the criminal organization fraudulently provided them with residence and work permits to then travel by land to Spain.
Once in Spain, the criminal network provided them with housing to keep them under control at all times and tried to regularize their administrative situation.
The victims were enrolled in various language centers to apply for study visas, although they never actually attended the training centers.
€20,000 DEBT
The expenses related to the transportation generated a debt of up to €20,000 for the victims, which they had to repay by working in the manicure establishments run by the network for more than ten hours a day, every day of the week, without receiving any salary until the debt was paid off.
These conditions, along with the pressure from the exploiters to repay the debt, pushed the victims to the brink, as evidenced by the suicide attempt of one of them.
The police operation concluded with an extensive operation involving more than 150 agents.
Seven raids were carried out in Palma de Mallorca, Seville, and Alicante, three of them resulting in the closure of the establishments.
Thirteen people of Vietnamese (nine), Spanish (four), and American (one) nationality have been arrested, including the four leaders of the criminal organization, one of whom has been provisionally imprisoned.
In addition, a total of 23 victims of Vietnamese (19) and Filipino (four) origin have been rescued, and €79,000 in cash, five high-end vehicles, jewelry worth €8,500, substantial documentary evidence, and €291,000 in bank accounts have been seized.
