Prostitution group ringleader suspect caught on Costa

THE suspected leader of a human trafficking and sexual exploitation gang has been arrested on the Costa del Sol.

A joint operation coordinated by Europol, Belgian police and Guardia Civil officers arrested Stefan Rene TF in Torremolinos while four others were simultaneously arrested in Belgium.

The group is believed to have forced young women from Romania and Morocco to provide sexual services in Belgium, where they were kept under strict control and often beaten, tortured and left without food.

A search of the Torremolinos home of the suspect, who awaits extradition to Belgium, discovered documentation and evidence that he was leading group operations from Spain to avoid detection by the Belgian police, a police statement declared.