Cancun, Q.R. — Raciel López Salazar, the State Attorney General, says 22 women have been rescued from sex trafficking. The women were located inside a Cancun club in SM 230 over the weekend.
Salazar made the announcement Monday. The women were removed from the bar during a search operation in coordination with the Secretariat of Citizen Security and Transit of Benito Juárez.
According to Salazar, they were found “in a bar located in Supermanzana 230, where police located and protected 22 women: 16 Mexicans and six foreigners, alleged victims of human trafficking in the form of prostitution.”
He said “according to initial investigations, the modus operandi for recruiting the women was to entice them through acquaintances and social media. Knowing their vulnerability, they recommended that they apply for jobs as bartenders and waitresses, but to sell more tokens, they had to be touchable and have closer contact with customers.
“The fee was 200 pesos, and a bucket of beer ranged from 200 to 380 pesos, depending on the brand. If they wanted to leave the bar with the customer, they had to pay 1,500 pesos directly at the establishment’s cashier, plus a fee of between 1,500 and 3,000 pesos for sexual services, which the customers paid to the women.”
Of the women rescued, 16 were Mexican, four Cuban, one Colombian, and Venezuelan. The 26 women were taken to the State Attorney General’s Office to give their statements, which will be added to the investigation.
