Spain breaks up Voodoo prostitution ring

Spain breaks up Voodoo prostitution ring

MADRID (AP) -- Police have arrested nine people accused of forcing Nigerian girls to work as prostitutes on the streets of Barcelona after telling them they had cast Voodoo spells on them. The regional police in the Catalonia region say the girls were smuggled into this country after being lured with bogus job offers and then forced to work off debts of up to €50,000 ($68,000) in the space of six months. A police statement released Friday says the nine detainees are all Nigerian and were arrested Tuesday after an investigation that began nine months ago. It says the gang cast spells on girls who believed in Voodoo, making them think terrible things would happen to them or their families if they did not keep silent about the smuggling ring and remain loyal to it.