Seven people have been arrested in Belgium and Spain as part of a wide-ranging investigation into human trafficking and sexual exploitation, the West Flanders Public Prosecutor’s office said on Tuesday.
The investigation revealed that the organisation recruited women abroad through online advertisements. The victims were required to hand over half their earnings from prostitution. Nine women were identified after the searches. They were of Colombian, Spanish, Brazilian and Nigerian origin.
The organisation was active in Waregem, Brasschaat, Assenede, Roeselare, Ghent and Antwerp, among other places, as well as in various Spanish cities.
The investigation began in April 2023, when the local police were called to settle a dispute over the rental of a room in Kortrijk. On the spot, two Colombian women told the police that they were prostitutes.
Another room in the flat was also being used for this purpose. The police then discovered that a criminal organisation was responsible for recruiting women abroad via classified ads published online.
Six people were arrested on 8 October during searches in Belgium. A 34-year-old suspect, originally from Colombia but resident in Madrid, was arrested in Spain. The police also seized €14,000.
The examining magistrate in Bruges released one suspect of Belgian nationality and conditionally-released two others. An arrest warrant has been issued for three Colombian nationals aged between 28 and 31. Belgium has asked Spain to hand over the suspect arrested in Iberian territory.
