During an action day, ten suspects were arrested and twelve locations searched in the three countries involved. Seizures include €20,000 in cash, two vehicles and electronic equipment.
Beginning in France in 2021, the investigations revealed
that a series of prostitution activities that took place in several towns in
France were handled by a structure based in Spain. The services of the victims,
who were of Latin American origin, were announced on a dedicated website and
through telephone lines managed from Spain.
It is believed that the profits generated by the
prostitution activities in France were also sent to Spain.
The case was opened at Eurojust in 2021 at the request
of the French investigative judge from JIRS Nancy. Three coordination meetings
were hosted by the Agency to facilitate judicial cooperation, including the
execution of six European
Investigation Orders (EIOs) in Spain and two in Portugal, and the preparation
of the joint action day.
Europol provided analytical support, assisted with the exchange of information and deployed officers on the spot during the action day.
During a joint action day on 20 June, four suspects
were arrested in Spain in three house searches. In France, two suspects were
arrested. A total of seven house searches were carried out. In Portugal, four
suspects were arrested and two house searches carried out.
Seizures include EUR 20 000 in cash, as well as two
vehicles, electronic equipment, two hard drives, more than thirty mobile
phones, SIM cards, bank cards, notebooks, diaries and handwritten accounts of
prostitution activities.