Rescue Operation Frees Two Cuban Women from Sexual Exploitation in Mexico

Two Cuban women who were subjected to sexual exploitation in Quintana Roo, Mexico, have been rescued in a joint operation by the State Attorney General's Office and the National Guard.

The Cuban women were part of a group of 29 women who were forced to work in a bar, providing sexual services for prices ranging from 5,000 to 10,000 pesos, in addition to offering erotic dances. The group consisted of 10 Mexican women and 19 foreigners: nine from Colombia, six from Venezuela, one from Peru, one from Norway, and the two Cubans. Of the 19 foreign women, seven were handed over to the National Institute of Migration (INM) for repatriation.

The 29 women were ensnared by a global human trafficking network, with recruiters and transporters having contacts in other countries. "The traffickers' modus operandi was to befriend the victims, then seduce them and convince them to travel to Playa del Carmen, where they were promised documents. However, upon arrival at the bar, their passports were confiscated, and they were forced to meet a quota of sexual services under the threat that their families would be harmed if they failed," detailed the State Attorney General's Office in a statement.

"The women were constantly subjected to physical and psychological abuse," the statement added. Authorities have arrested a man identified as Julio Alejandro “N,” a native of Chihuahua, who was already wanted for a sexual abuse offense in his home state.