The authorities arrested 22 people, while 51 women were rescued, 48 of whom came from Colombia, 2 from Venezuela and 1 from Albania – How the ring worked
In the dismantling of a trafficking network, consisting of two criminal organizations, which exploited women mainly from Latin America, the Directorate for Combating Organized Crime and Human Trafficking of the Attica Security Directorate proceeded in conjunction with the activation of international police cooperation channels.
The authorities arrested 22 people in Athens and Thessaloniki, of which 11 were members of the criminal organization and 11 people who worked as staff in the brothels.
51 victims were rescued, including 48 Colombian, 2 Venezuelan and 1 Albanian nationals, who were given assistance and protection.
How the circuit worked
The members of the criminal organizations had created a network to locate women, whom they persuaded to travel to Greece, extracting their consent, through deceptive means and false promises, for the provision of work with high salaries and under good conditions.
They then housed the victims in apartments and took them to brothels, where they were exploited on a daily basis.
Characteristic of the cruelty with which they treated the victims was that when they faced health problems or during menstruation, they threatened them, took away their travel documents, defamed them and imposed fines of 100 euros.
Meanwhile, to legitimize the illegal income, the perpetrators of the ring set up three companies, through which they tried to hide the origin of the money they lavishly spent, leading a luxurious life.
The women were provided with assistance and protection while they were transferred to hostels until their repatriation could be completed, as they wished.
The arrested are taken to the competent Prosecutor, while the investigations in cooperation with foreign Authorities continue.
The announcements from EL.AS.
“Statements regarding the dismantling of a transnational criminal network that was active in the trafficking and exploitation of foreign women from Latin America
Statements of the Director of the Attica Security Directorate, Brigadier General Ioannis Skouras:
“Ladies and gentlemen, good morning.
The systematic and methodical investigation of the Directorate for Combating Organized Crime and Human Trafficking of the Attica Security Directorate, in combination with the activation of international police cooperation channels, dealt yet another significant blow to organized human trafficking rings.
In this particular case, a transnational criminal network was dismantled, consisting of two (2) criminal organizations, whose members trafficked women, mainly from Latin America, with the aim of their financial and sexual exploitation and the subsequent money laundering of their criminal proceeds activity.
In order to end the activity of the said criminal network, a coordinated police operation was organized and carried out, in the context of which, in the morning and midday hours of yesterday (June 30, 2023) in Attica and Thessaloniki, eleven (11) members of the criminal network were arrested, while at the same time it was carried out inspection of thirteen (13) brothels, where eleven (11) women were also arrested as brothel staff.
At the same time, 51 female victims were rescued, of which 48 were citizens of Colombia, 2 of Venezuela and 1 of Albania, and they were provided with assistance and protection.
It is worth noting that the members of these interrelated criminal organizations had built a network of locating women, whom they persuaded to travel to Greece, extracting their consent, through deceptive means and false promises, for the provision of work with high salaries and under good conditions.
In this way, they were settled in apartments and transferred to brothels where they were exploited every day, without a day off.
Characteristic of the cruelty with which they treated the female victims was that when they faced health problems or during menstruation, threats were made against them, with the removal of their travel documents, humiliation and the imposition of fines of 100 euros.
Furthermore, due to the amount of illegal income they were making, there was an urgent need to legitimize it, which was achieved by setting up three companies through which they tried to hide the origin of the money they lavishly spent, leading a luxurious life.
It goes without saying that the investigations do not stop here but will continue through international police cooperation in order to locate other members of the network operating abroad.
I believe that the presence of representatives of INTERPOL, the National Police of Spain, the US Internal Security Service (US Embassy in Athens), as well as the Non-Governmental Organizations, was a catalyst for the operation to dismantle the criminal network. “OUR GREECE” and “A21”, which specialize in helping and protecting victims of human trafficking and for this reason I would like to congratulate and thank them.
At the same time, I would like to thank all the executives of the Hellenic Police, the O.P.K.E. Teams. and the Kallithea Security Department for their harmonious cooperation and catalytic assistance, which led to the successful organization and implementation of the business.
More details will be presented to you by the Press Spokesperson of the Hellenic Police, Constable II Demoglidou Constantia.
Thank you.”
Statements of the Press Representative of the Hellenic Police, Police Officer II Constantias Demoglidos:
“Good morning.
As previously mentioned by the Director of the Attica Security Directorate, the Sub-Directorate for Combating Organized Crime and Human Trafficking successfully managed to dismantle two interconnected criminal organizations of a transnational nature, whose members had been active, at least since July 2020, in the trafficking and sexual exploitation of foreign women as well as in the legalization of their proceeds from their criminal activity.
In order to identify the victims and arrest the members of the criminal organizations, a special operational plan was drawn up and after a coordinated police operation that took place in the morning and midday hours on Friday, June 30, 2023, in various areas of Attica and Thessaloniki, a total of 22 people were arrested of which 11 members of the criminal organization and the rest staff of brothels.
A case file was filed against those arrested for the -as the case may be- offenses of criminal organization, human trafficking, violation of seals set by the Authority, prevention and suppression of criminal activities and financing of terrorism, protection of the individual from data processing of a personal nature, as well as for violating the laws on drugs and weapons, while the file that was formed includes 4 more people of the transnational network, who are wanted.
In more detail, the investigation revealed that the two (2) criminal organizations operated in a structured manner, with a hierarchy and continuous but also interconnected action, with activity both in our country and in Colombia, with the aim of sexually and financially exploiting foreign women, in brothels and studios in Attica and Thessaloniki.
Their interrelated action lies in the fact that their leading members maintained relations of cooperation and financial negotiations, while two other members functioned on behalf of both organizations as recruiters.
In more detail, the first criminal organization was made up of 9 people, with their activity being placed at least since July 2020. They maintained a total of twelve (12) brothels, of which ten (10) in Attica and two (2) in Thessaloniki, as well as five apartments, where they transported and housed their victims.
In the brothels, women were forced to be released for the sum of fifty (50) euros, using as a pretext the existence of excessive debt, ranging from 2,600 to 2,800 euros, while they took away from them most of the money they earned.
In fact, as Mr. Governor mentioned, threats and humiliating behaviors were used to force them into daily work even when they were facing health problems.
The profits they made from their activity exceeded 160,000 euros per month, of which 130,000 euros came from the brothels in Attica.
Regarding the role played by each member of the organization, it emerged that the two leading members ran the criminal organization, controlled the action of the members, gave the final approval for the recruitment of the extradited women, determined the debt of each, were the owner-operators of the brothels, managed illegal profits and organized their legalization.
The other members were assigned specific roles on a case-by-case basis, and in particular three recruiters, a treasurer, three brothel managers, four drivers, a supervisor and a “straw man”, who appeared as the manager of the companies the organization used to legitimize the proceeds from its illegal activities.
The second criminal organization consisted of four (4) members, of which two (2) were leaders, having been active at least since 2021, with the aim of sexually and financially exploiting women in the eight (8) brothels they maintained in the center of Athens .
The other two members, who were common to both criminal organizations, were the recruiters of the women, who were flown to our country and settled in three (3) apartments maintained by the said criminal organization in Kallithea.
From there they were taken to the brothels, for a fee of five (5) euros per journey and they were forced to make dozens of sexual appointments, every day and without days off, for the sum of twenty (20) euros.
And in this case, most of the income was withheld by a leading member, under the pretext of having a debt of 1,600 euros, which was actually reduced by 300 euros only in the event that an extradited woman recruited another woman on behalf of the organization.
Responsible for drawing up the program of the extradited women, settling the debt, running the almshouses and collecting the income of the organization was one chief member, who then handed over the money to the other chief member, for further management. . Specifically, through a real estate company that he maintained, he legalized the proceeds of the criminal group, in order to hide their illegal origin.
As part of the operation, searches were carried out in thirteen (13) brothels and ten (10) houses, where the following were found and confiscated:
- 13,450 euros,
- 2 cars and a motorbike,
- trace amount of hashish,
- iron fist and folding rod,
- dozens of surveillance cameras and recorders.
- dozens of electronic devices (mobile phones, laptops);
- two (2) money counters
- 10 safes,
- a number of documents and handwritten notes regarding the operation of brothels and money laundering.
The victims of the criminal network were provided with assistance and protection while they were transferred to hostels, until their repatriation was completed, at their request.
The arrested are taken to the competent Prosecutor, while the investigations in cooperation with foreign Authorities continue.
At the end of the presentation, the representatives of the American Embassy, ​​the Spanish Police and Interpol thanked the Greek Police and the Non-Governmental Organizations for the high level of cooperation in dismantling the transnational network, highlighting aspects of the contribution of their Services to the operation and emphasizing the need continuation of this type of cooperation at the international level for the fight against organized crime.
Thank you.”
Source: Skai
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