Three charged in prostitution inquiry

Two men and a woman have been arrested and charged with forcing hundreds of women from Romania and the former Soviet Union to work as prostitutes in Spain.

Toma Rus, head of a police department that specialises in organised crime, said the three were arrested in the north-west Romanian city of Cluj on Tuesday and charged with being part of a ring that sequestered about 300 women in Spanish brothels from 1997 to 2003. All three have pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The women, who came from Romania, Moldova, Ukraine and Russia, and were aged 19 to 24, were forced into prostitution in the Spanish towns of Vinaros and Alcanar. Four Romanian women recently escaped from the brothels and went to the Spanish police. They said they were beaten and had most of their money confiscated.

Romanian police had been investigating the network since August, Mr Rus said. If found guilty, the three could be jailed for up to 10 years. Police have issued a warrant for the head of the network but have not revealed his identity.

In related operations by police in nine countries in South-east Europe over the past 10 days, 297 people have been arrested on suspicion of human trafficking and 237 female victims have been given safety.