A Colombian sex slave has been rescued in Malaga just before she was due to be trafficked to Saudi Arabia.
The victim was freed from a human trafficking ring accused of forcing Colombian women into prostitution in apartments in Malaga and Bilbao.
Four people were arrested in Spain, including two in Malaga, while Colombian police arrested another suspect in the city of Pereira.
According to the Policia Nacional, the investigation began in November 2025 after a victim reported being recruited in Colombia with the promise of a hospitality job in Spain.
The traffickers allegedly paid for her flights, hotel bookings and provided cash so she could enter Spain posing as a tourist.
Instead of taking her to legitimate employment, investigators say she was transported between apartments in Bilbao and Malaga, where she was forced into prostitution under the control of members of the criminal organisation.
Rescue before transfer to Saudi Arabia
Police intervened after a relative alerted officers that the young woman was being held against her will in a property in Malaga and was about to be flown to Saudi Arabia, where she would allegedly continue to be sexually exploited.
Two suspects were arrested in Malaga and remanded in custody.
The investigation later led to the arrest of two more alleged members of the network in Lugo and Getafe, near Madrid.
Working alongside Colombia’s National Police, Spanish investigators also carried out a search in Pereira, where they arrested the suspected recruiter responsible for targeting women in Colombia.
Drugs also sold from prostitution flats
Investigators identified one confirmed victim of human trafficking for sexual exploitation and believe there may be at least one other woman who was subjected to similar abuse. Efforts to locate and protect her are ongoing.
Police also allege the gang was selling illegal drugs to clients visiting the apartments where the women were being exploited.
The five suspects have appeared before a judge, with four remaining in pre-trial detention while the investigation continues.
The operation forms part of Spain’s wider campaign against human trafficking and sexual exploitation, carried out in cooperation with Colombian authorities.
Read more Andalucia news at the Spanish Eye.
