INNSBRUCK — Austrian authorities say they have dismantled a sprawling human trafficking network that forced dozens of Colombian women into prostitution across the country.
The investigation, which began in 2022 after police questioned two Colombian sex workers in the ski resort town of Ischgl, uncovered a criminal ring operating between Colombia, Austria, Spain, and Turkey. The women told officers they were compelled to hand over most of their earnings to traffickers.
Over three years, investigators say, the network lured 45 women to Austria under false promises of work, then exploited and in some cases assaulted them. The case involved 28 suspects; 11 have now been arrested.
Austrian police launched the international task force “Bogota,” working with Europol and Colombian authorities. The breakthrough came this September during a joint operation in Colombia that freed 45 women and led to five arrests.
Interior Minister Gerhard Karner hailed the outcome as a “serious blow against human trafficking and organized crime.” Three suspects — including an Austrian woman and a Romanian national — are in pre-trial detention in Salzburg. Others are jailed in Spain and Colombia, with extradition proceedings underway.
But the network’s suspected mastermind remains on the run. Investigators believe he may be hiding in Turkey.
A multi-day trial in Salzburg is scheduled for mid-October, where several defendants will face charges of trafficking and sexual exploitation.
