Prolific love: fourteen young victims of 'lover boys' saved in Spain

The Spanish National Police (Policía Nacional) and the Romanian Police (Poliția Română), supported by Europol and Eurojust, have dismantled a criminal network involved in human trafficking for sexual exploitation. The investigation resulted in simultaneous action days in Romania and Spain between 11 and 13 July 2023.

The joint investigation into this criminal network was initiated in 2021. The suspects recruited the victims, young women from Romania, via the so-called 'lover boy' method or by seducing them with the false promise of good work opportunities abroad. Once the girls were under their control, the suspects transported them to Spain and forced them into street prostitution. They coerced the victims through violence. 

The criminal network also forced their victims to sell drugs to their clients and assist them in their money laundering activities. The investigators identified more than 25 victims in total, as well as about 10 suspects, including a woman. The latter was overseeing the victims at the place of prostitution.

The actions led to:

• 5 house searches (4 in Romania and 1 in Spain)
• 9 arrests in Spain
• 5 European Arrest Warrants issued
• 14 victims safeguarded in Spain
• 10 victims identified in Romania
• Seizures include: jewellery, 4 bladed weapons (1 machete, 1 axe, 1 butterfly knife and 1 switchblade knife with a 19.5 cm blade), one vehicle, phones, documents and cash.

The lover boy trick

The ‘lover boy’ technique is widely used by criminals to recruit victims confronted with economic and social hardship. The suspects target their victims’ vulnerabilities and seduce them with expensive gifts and promises of a better life abroad. This is how many women leave their families in search of love and new opportunities in other countries. However, once they find themselves in their new home, they are forced into prostitution to earn money for their handler. The victims are lured with affection, violence and threats against them and their families back home.

Europol coordinated the operational activities, facilitated the exchange of information and provided analytical support. During the action, Europol supported via a Virtual Command Post, which enabled the cross-checking of operational information in real time.  

Eurojust facilitated the judicial cooperation, funded coordination meetings and set up a Joint Investigation Team to coordinate the operational activities.