In an international operation targeting a sex trafficking network which operated in various European vacation destinations, French, Romanian and Spanish police arrested seven suspects and identified 32 victims, Europol said in a press release on Wednesday.
In an international operation targeting a sex trafficking network which operated in various European vacation destinations, French, Romanian and Spanish police arrested seven suspects and identified 32 victims. (Photo: EUROPOL, License)Officers searched 16 locations in France and Romania and seized digital equipment, cell phones, cannabis from an illegal grow-op, luxury vehicles and more than 23,000 euros (US$25,255) in cash.
According to Europol, the gang used a common human trafficking method dubbed ‘Lover Boy’ to recruit vulnerable victims who are typically singled out because of their economic or social difficulties. They are usually lured by criminals through expensive gifts and the promise of a better life abroad.
Women are particularly susceptible to the Lover Boy facade. Oftentimes, many go abroad in search of a romance and new opportunities, but instead find themselves entrapped into forced prostitution.
The investigation found that the criminal network enticed victims who were mostly of Romanian nationality. The victims were then sent by plane to Barcelona, Spain, where they were placed in a variety of safe houses.
The criminal group had arranged a variety of rented locations across popular vacation…
