Three people have been arrested in Madrid in connection with the sexual exploitation of at least five Brazilian men who were lured to Spain with promises of work.
The Brazilian men were contacted through social networks or via email and were lured into coming to Spain to take up legitimate work. Once in Spain, however, they were forced into prostitution in order to pay off the debts incurred as a result of their journey.
The youths incurred debts of around €4,000 and were required to pay off €1,200 plus interest each month. They were kept in an apartment in Madrid and were not allowed to leave the house before dawn. They earned around €60 an hour for their services, of which one half went to the owner of the apartment.
If they were tired, the youths were forced to take drugs to boost their libido and were charged for each pill, adding to their debts. Threats were made against their families back in Brazil in order to make them more cooperative.
The detainees are one a Brazilian, a Chilean and a Spanish national.