February 2, 2024.- Agents of the Provincial Police Station of Burgos have arrested and put at judicial disposal the manager of a brothel located in the Carpet of this city, investigated as responsible for crimes related to prostitution, against the rights of workers and against the rights of foreign citizens.
Among the functions entrusted to the National Police, in this case the Provincial Brigade of Foreigners and Borders, are the investigation and fight against organizations dedicated to trafficking in persons, illegal immigration, labour exploitation and illicit trafficking in labour, or trafficking in human beings.
The investigation dates back to last August 2023, after an anonymous complaint made through the Service of Attention to Victims of Trafficking policia.es.
It brought to the attention of the police the alleged existence of several women imprisoned against their will and coactively forced into prostitution, a fact that was occurring in a brothel located in the Carpet of Burgos.
As an added element, they would have been deprived of their personal documentation upon arrival, which aggravates their situation of vulnerability since they are in an irregular situation, and makes it difficult for them to go to the police to report the facts.
Inspections of the premises and detention of the person under investigation
Faced with these data, the Provincial Police Station of Burgos initiated the so-called ‘Operation Gem’, aimed first of all at verifying the veracity of the facts, then collecting the appropriate evidence and means of proof, and finally, putting an end to the situation of exploitation that the victims may be suffering.
In a first inspection of the premises, the agents verified the presence of about twenty women in the context of prostitution, several of them foreign citizens in an irregular situation. For this reason, a second visit was later carried out, this time accompanied by officials attached to the Provincial Labour and Social Security Inspectorate of Burgos.
None of the women identified were registered in the Social Security by the company. With regard to their administrative situation, the presence of some of them without a residence and/or work permit led to the initiation of the corresponding administrative disciplinary proceedings. On the other hand, a large amount of documentation was provided that would prove the facts imputed to the administrator of the brothel.
Finally, after analysing all the information obtained, the National Police proceeded to arrest the main investigator, who happens to be the sole administrator of the establishment.
Human Trafficking is the slavery of the 21st century and one of the most common and money-moving crimes in the world, after the trafficking of drugs and weapons. Every time this crime is committed, all human rights are violated in the same person, corrupting not only his freedom and dignity but also his physical and emotional integrity. The victims of this crime are usually vulnerable people, especially women, children and men in delicate physical or economic conditions, accustomed to discrimination and who do not oppose great resistance.
Trafficking in human beings is a serious violation of people’s dignity and freedom, and ultimately proves to be one of the most serious forms of crime.