Colombian authorities have broken up a human trafficking ring that used fake professional internships in Spain to lure unsuspecting citizens into forced labor. According to investigators, the scheme operated out of Bogotá since 2019 and affected more than 60 victims.
The scam began with promises of international work experience that could boost a young professional’s résumé. Organizers created forged documents from educational institutions to make the opportunity look legitimate, then used those papers to help victims obtain Spanish type-D visas and residency permits as supposed exchange students. Each victim reportedly paid between 4 and 8 million Colombian pesos (roughly $1,000 to $2,000 USD) to cover the arrangements before departure.
Once they landed in Spain, however, the promised academic training never materialized. Most victims were sent to the Tarragona region, on Spain’s northeastern coast, and put to work in restaurant chains for shifts lasting 12 to 16 hours a day. Investigators say the group’s alleged leader, identified as Annelis Caridad Lissabet Ramos, known as “Nelly,” and her husband controlled victims through threats of deportation and damage to their immigration records, trapping them in what officials describe as severe labor exploitation.
Back in Colombia, a separate network of collaborators handled recruitment, document forgery, and travel logistics, according to police. The case remains under investigation. You can read the full report at El Tiempo.
Source: Cayó red transnacional que operaba desde Bogotá con falsas becas para llevar colombianos a trabajar en España (eltiempo.com). English version produced with AI assistance.
Image: thomaswanhoff, BY-SA 2.0 (via Openverse).