Thirteen women from Latin America and Eastern Europe arrived in Greece with dreams of a better future. They believed they had secured stable jobs, only to have their passports ripped from their hands and their identities stripped away. Trapped in a nightmare, their captors forced them into sex work under threats of violence and debts that grew larger by the day.
Law Enforcement Takes Action
For over two years, a criminal gang in Attica and Corinth preyed on vulnerable women, deceiving them with false promises of legal work. The traffickers ensnared them in a brutal cycle of exploitation, using fear and coercion to control them.
Investigators spent months tracking the network, studying financial transactions, watching surveillance footage, and uncovering fraudulent documents. Every piece of evidence revealed more about the gang’s operation, and as law enforcement built their case, the moment to strike drew closer.
The Operation That Changed Everything
On March 12, 2025, police arrested six key suspects, including the gang’s leader, and freed 13 women. Officers stormed multiple locations, breaking through locked doors and dismantling the traffickers’ grip on the survivors. Our Rescue supported this operation with logistics on the ground and worked with the authorities to assist with crime fighting technology.
Authorities charged the traffickers with:
- Human trafficking
- Pimping
- Forgery
- Running illegal brothels
- Breaking immigration and weapons laws
How the Gang Exploited Women
Each trafficker played a role in the criminal organization:
- The leader remained in the shadows, issuing commands but avoiding direct involvement with the brothels.
- His second-in-command oversaw daily operations, recruited women, and collected the profits.
- Another member ran the brothels in Corinth, ensuring the women remained under control.
To keep their illegal business running, they forged work permits and health documents, creating the illusion of legitimacy. They even faked medical exams, using forged signatures from doctors to pass inspections and avoid legal scrutiny.
What Police Seized
Officers uncovered key evidence, including:
- $25,543 in cash
- Two cars
- Mobile phones, computers, cameras, and recording devices
- Fake work and health documents
- Handwritten notes detailing brothel operations
A New Beginning for the Survivors
The 13 survivors are free, though the road to healing will not be easy. Many had been isolated for months, some for years, their sense of self eroded by fear and manipulation.
Our Rescue and A21 stepped in, providing shelter, legal aid, and emotional support. That night, they slept in beds where no one could force them to work. They spoke to counselors who believed them, advocates who reassured them they were not to blame. Now, they have a chance to rebuild.
What’s Next?
The arrested traffickers now await trial, facing the full weight of the law. Authorities continue to track down any remaining members of the network, determined to bring every perpetrator to justice.
With every arrest, every survivor freed, and every criminal network dismantled, the world moves closer to a future where no one is forced into a life they would never choose.