A major blow was dealt to a transnational human trafficking network this week, as authorities arrested 17 suspects linked to the sexual exploitation of vulnerable Colombian women across Europe. The coordinated operation, led by Eurojust with support from Europol and the Western Balkans Criminal Justice Project, traced the criminal ring’s operations from Colombia to Albania, revealing a complex web of recruitment and abuse stretching across continents.
Upon arrival in Albania, around 50 female victims were trafficked to various European countries via online platforms. A hotel in Tirana had been converted into a place where the women were held captive and sexually exploited. Those who resisted were threatened with violence against their families.
The suspects organised their operations to evade detection, travelling to different parts of the world to complicate national investigations. However, coordinated international cooperation uncovered the links between local operators and the main criminal group.
Simultaneous raids in Albania and Colombia dismantled the trafficking network, leading to the arrest of seven suspects in Albania and ten in Colombia. Authorities identified 54 South American victims and conducted 16 house searches, seizing key evidence and equipment linked to the criminal operation.
