Guardia Civil officers in Cádiz and Málaga are currently carrying out controls on a number of ‘alternative’ bars in the area and fifteen people have so far been detained on charges of sexual exploitation.
The investigation began last night and is continuing throughout this morning and further detentions have not been ruled out.
In addition to the arrests of those involved in sexual exploitation, the police have found numerous women who were forced into prostitution.
Operation ‘Toscana’ has seen raids on six clubs in Cádiz and Málaga provinces, namely in El Puerto de Santa María, Chiclana, Conil, Medina Sidonia and Estepona.
The clubs are all run by one couple and their two children, one of those arrested being the bullfighter Juan Pedro Galán. Raids were also carried out on seven apartments where 26 vehicles, €500,000 euros in cash and a large amount of documentation were confiscated.
The network responsible for the brothels kept the prostitutes in poor conditions, took half of their earnings, forced them to work long hours and imposed a dress code and diet. Fines were levied against those who disobeyed.
The detainees are charged with sexual exploitation, money laundering and falsifying documents. It is believed that the total assets or the network are in the region of €50 million.