Galicia's Superior Court of Justice has dismissed appeals from a couple sentenced to nearly 54 years in prison for sexually exploiting Paraguayan migrant women. The accused recruited vulnerable victims, financed their trips to Spain, and forced them into prostitution to repay debts. The ruling upholds seven counts of human trafficking and related charges.
The second section of the Provincial Court of A Coruña initially sentenced each member of the couple to 53 years and 11 months in prison as perpetrators of a crime against public health for trafficking highly harmful drugs, a continued offense of illegal immigration, and seven offenses of human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation, in conjunction with sexual exploitation.
The convicted appealed, claiming violation of the right to a fair trial with guarantees and to defense, arguing that the sentence relied on the testimony of a protected witness whose identity was not disclosed, preventing verification of her statements. The Superior Court of Justice of Galicia (TSXG) rejected these claims, noting that most testimonies are "revealing" of how the couple recruited victims in Paraguay in situations of "evident need and even desperation," financed their trips, and imposed prostitution conditions.
The superior court highlighted details such as restrictions on outings and mobile phone use, the obligation to supply clients with Viagra and cocaine, and the incompatibility of these practices with "dignified, free, and independent living conditions." It also verified the vulnerability of the young, unregulated foreign women without economic or family support, fostering isolation and fear.
The activity took place at least since 2019 in apartments in Ferrol and Narón (A Coruña), where they obtained economic benefits through exploitation. They had the daily collaboration of a woman who arrived from Seville in November 2021, sentenced to 25 years for drug trafficking and seven offenses of prostitution exploitation. Victims had to repay between 5,000 and 7,000 euros, often without knowing the exact repayment period, through intensive sexual services.
The TSXG also recognized one victim's right to receive an insertion income.