They would be in charge of arranging tickets, passports, visas and other documents to guarantee the arrival of the victims to the Asian territory.
Based on the evidence obtained in an investigation against a transnational human trafficking network, the Attorney General’s Office formally accused José Ignacio Gaona Pérez and Angie Lorena Araque Manchola, the owner and employee of a travel agency, for allegedly facilitating the departure of young Colombian women from the country to be sexually exploited in China.
These two people will have to answer as alleged responsible for the crimes of aggravated criminal conspiracy, human trafficking and attempted human trafficking.
Investigations led by a prosecutor from the Specialized Directorate against Human Rights Violations revealed that, between June 2016 and October 2019, they purchased tickets and processed passports, visas, among other documents, so that four women recruited in Ipiales (Nariño), Pereira (Risaralda) and Medellín (Antioquia) could travel to Guangzhou (China).
The victims, aged between 19 and 25, accepted alleged work offers as wholesaler businesswomen but upon arriving in Asian territory their passports were taken from them and were informed that they had to engage in sexual activities in a nightclub to pay a debt for the costs of the trip and maintenance.
Three young women escaped and with the assistance of the Colombian consulate in Guangzhou they returned to the country. In their statements, they stated that they were physically and emotionally abused to break their will and comply with the requirements of the criminal group.
The Office of the Attorney General makes this information public for reasons of general interest.
The information contained in this press release corresponds to the narration of the objective news provided by the officials in charge of carrying out criminal investigations within the Office of the Attorney General. By the time this communication is disclosed, the legal status of the people mentioned is still pending to be resolved by the competent judicial authority, always under the presumption of innocence contemplated by Article 29 of the Political Constitution and Article 7 of Law 906 of 2004.