Playa del Carmen, Q.R. — Eighteen women believed victims of human trafficking in the form of prostitution were rescued from a Playa del Carmen bar. The women were rescued from the establishment while two men were arrested during the same police operation.
The operation, carried out by the State Attorney General (FGE) and National Guard, was the result of an ongoing investigation in collaboration with the Attorney General of Colombia.
The bar was searched after a warrant was obtained by local authorities who located nine Mexican women, seven Colombian women and two Argentine women inside.
“During the operation, the participating agents managed to capture Juan Carlos “N” and Julio Matías “N”, both of Mexican nationality, who were in charge of the victims at that time,” the FGE reported in a statement.
According to their statement, “the women were forced to provide sexual services, for which the bar earned between 1,500 and 2,000 pesos. The foreigners were promised that their immigration status would be regularized, so they were forced to remain working there.”
