AN illegal brothel has been broken up in Marbella.
Nine prostitutes kept in squalid conditions have been freed in a police raid.
Three Portuguese pimps have also been arrested after keeping the women hostage against their will.
The women – from North Africa and Eastern Europe – were forced into prostitution after coming into contact with the gang via social media.
The victims, who lived crammed into the basement of a log cabin, were lured to the Costa del Sol on the promise of a well-paid job.
Once in Spain, they underwent a selection process which involved the gang’s leader sexually assaulting them.
The investigations began in June 2014 when two women reported their entrapment to a client.