Voodoo human trafficking gang leader operating in Malaga jailed for 100 years

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Malaga provincial court sentences eleven people who controlled underage sex workers to total of 439 years in prison

IRENE QUIRANTE

Friday, 20 March 2026, 11:01

Malaga provincial court has sentenced eleven members of a criminal network to a total of 439 years in prison for exploiting teenage girls and young Nigerian women.

The victims were forced into prostitution at the Guadalhorce industrial estate under the threat of black magic.

The court ruling, seen by SUR, confirms that the ringleader, a Nigerian 'madam' who ran a shop in the La Palmilla district of Malaga, was sentenced to 104 years for eleven counts of human trafficking and coercive prostitution.

Five of her victims were minors. Ten other defendants received sentences ranging from ten to 87 years.

Operating since before 2016, the gang had branches in Madrid, Barcelona and Nigeria. Victims from impoverished backgrounds were recruited with promises of "dignified work" in Spain.

Before departing, they underwent a voodoo ceremony to ensure their loyalty. Once in Malaga, this ritual became a "curse" used to coerce them into sex work to pay off alleged debts.

The National Police investigation began after anonymous tip-offs about minors on the Guadalhorce estate.

Officers discovered that the 'madam' controlled every aspect of the girls' lives, forcing them into "marathon shifts" and demanding one minor earn 1,000 euros in a single week.

The victims faced physical aggression and threats against their families in Nigeria if they disobeyed.

One teenager was locked in a room in Leganés (Madrid), while the father of another was assaulted in Nigeria.

Despite police interventions, the psychological grip of the voodoo threats was so strong that several girls fled centres for minors to return to their exploiters.

The court also convicted seven members of offences against the rights of foreign nationals.