Five men, two women arrested in sex trafficking case involving South American victims

The Police have arrested seven suspects in a large-scale investigation into human trafficking and sexual exploitation, with South American women as the victims. Five men and two women were arrested. The suspects' ages vary from 26 to 45 years old. They are from The Hague, Harderwijk, Wassenaar, and Putten, said the Public Prosecution Service (OM).

According to the Public Prosecution Service, this was a so-called prostitution carousel in which women were constantly moved and had to work somewhere else each time. These crimes took place in the period of March 1 up to November 26, 2024.

Police were alerted to the suspects after two sex workers had reported them. They told the municipal prostitution team in Wormer, Noord-Holland, that they were being mistreated by their pimp, the OM said.

The investigation gained speed in May after a report came in of a break-in at a holiday park in Gelderland. Police found three undocumented women there who were working in prostitution. Officers found identification belonging to the pimp at the home along with items that point towards sex work.

The suspects were arrested at the end of November in holiday homes in Noordwijk and Biddinghuizen. Police also found six South American women at the home. Several of these women admitted to working as prostitutes.

Prosecutors see a 31-year-old man from The Hague as the leading suspect. According to the authorities, he recruits women from South America to come and work for him and makes agreements about profit distribution. Two other suspects, a 30-year-old man from Colombia and a 26-year-old man from Harderwijk, are considered accomplices by the OM, they allegedly arranged transport and housing for the women and managed the client base and payments.

The other four suspects, a 45-year-old woman from Wassenaar, a 31-year-old woman without a fixed abode or residence, a 32-year-old man from The Hague, and a 33-year-old man from Putten, also played a facilitating role in the human trafficking of the women, according to the OM.

According to the Public Prosecution Service, the women were forced to work long hours every day for seven days a week, in which sexual acts had to be performed. They were moved to a different city every week.

The women were forced to hand over any additional money they had earned. This was done through threats to them or their family. The human dignity and physical integrity of the women have been systematically violated, the prosecutors believe.

The investigation into the case is still ongoing, according to the Public Prosecution Service, and further arrests are not ruled out.