Ticas Say They Were Duped Into Travelling To
Mexico Then Forced To Prostitution
Following up on the actions of Mexican
authorities, Costa Rican authorities quickly
moved to open an investigation into an
alleged human trafficking ring that young
Costa Rican women duped into travelling to
Mexico, in the hopes of earning big money,
but turned to prostitution.
As one reported described the works of the
gangs, "the girls were promised a paradise,
but would end up living a hell on earth".
The news broke when Mexican officials are to
have rescued two Costa Rican women who say
they were forced to live in squalor and into
prostitution, up to five customers a day,
once they got to Mexico.
The events began unfolding on Monday when
one of the women, identified by her last
name, Canales, was able to escape from her
alleged captors and met up with a Mexican
judicial agent (police).
Canales told Mexican officials that she made
contact by internet and was taken to Yucatán
in Mexico, where she was met at the Mérida
airport by a driver to a private home where
she was kept locked up for a month.
Canales said she and the others in the house
were constantly threatened with violence and
death.
According to the Mexican report, the Ticas
were only allowed out of the home to attend
to customers for sexual services, visiting
hotels, private homes and bars, to have
sexual relations with high profile
customers, including politicians and sports
figures.
Canales told Mexican officials that they
were obligated to have sex up to five times
a day and not matter of the hour of the day
or night.
Costa Rican judicial authorities are
investigating a ring that is alleged to be
recruiting women from Barrio Amon (San Jose)
establishments like hotels and massage
parlours.
The two Ticas also told Mexican authorities
that a Costa Rican immigration official was
also involved in the trafficking ring.
Local television news channel 7 ran a
telephone interview with the alleged leader
of the trafficking ring, identified only by
her last name, Casanova, who told the news
team that the girls where never mistreated
in any way, they knew what they were getting
into, were prostitutes in Costa Rica and
recruited from local massage parlours.
Casanova added that one of the girls even
brought her child to Mexico and cannot
believe the claims of being locked up, as
she was the girlfriend of one the local
Mexican sports personalities.
The two girls who say they were able to
escape are in the custody of the
Procuraduría General de la República en
México, providing Mexican authorities will
information on the trafficking ring and
should be back in Costa Rica in the coming
days, with the help of the Costa Rican
embassy in Mexico.
According to the daily “Diario de Yucatán”
the trafficking ring is headed by a woman
identified by her last name Corrales, who is
believed to be a Costa Rican national and
given the name "la madame yucateca".
Ana Durán, Costa Rica's viceministra de
Seguridad y coordinadora de la Coalición
Nacional contra el Tráfico Ilícito de
Migrantes, said yesterday her office will be
providing the young girls and their families
with psychological support and security.
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Rosa María
Casanova Maya, using the Alias "Rosi", was
detained by Mexican officials for heading
the human trafficking ring and pimping. |
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