THE leaders of a gang that brought Nigerian women to Spain and then forced them into prostitution by threatening them with voodoo curses, have been arrested.
The group of 23 suspects from around the country appeared at court in Huelva accused of the charges.
Police said the arrests were triggered by a woman who told police in February of the gang’s intimidation tactics.
The gang tempted young Nigerian women to travel to Europe with promises of prosperity and later extorted money and controlled them through intimidation, police said in a statement.
The victims, aged 25 to 35, were forced to pay large sums of money to the gang members, who told the women they would go mad or have their souls destroyed if they disobeyed orders given during voodoo rituals that were held in Nigeria involving pieces of their fingernails or hair.
Voodoo is a religion practiced primarily in Haiti and parts of Africa.
