From Dream to Nightmare: How a Young Peruvian Woman Exposed a Human Trafficking Ring in Milan
They promised a job. What they delivered was debt, threats, and sexual exploitation.
A 25-year-old woman arrived in Milan from Peru with a promise packed in her suitcase. What she found instead was a human trafficking network disguised as an opportunity.
This is the latest case shaking the city—one that, thanks to her courage, led to four arrests for human trafficking. A story that doesn’t just outrage—it demands to be told.
✈️ The trip to Europe... and the cost of a lie
She thought she was coming to work. But as soon as she arrived, she was handed a bill:
- €3,500 in debt for the “trip” (though the plane ticket only cost €1,500)
- €350 per week for housing
- €200 more for ads on dating sites
- And the command: “Pay. Or you don’t leave.”
That’s how her nightmare began. Like her, six other young women from Peru and Colombia were caught in the same web of exploitation.
Apartments, threats, and total control
The apartments were in the Farini and Greco-Turro areas of Milan. That’s where they were forced into prostitution. That’s where they were watched. That’s where they were controlled.
The rules were simple: talk, and you pay the price.
One victim received a photo of a bullet sent to her family back in Peru.
The message was clear: “We know where they are.”
The fall of the ring: four arrests and an investigation that goes deeper
The operation, led by Milan’s second criminal police division, began thanks to the Peruvian woman’s report.
Four arrested:
- Two Italian men, aged 67 and 57
- Two Peruvian sisters, aged 34 and 37
The women had been recruited in South America with fake job offers. Once in Europe, they were turned into commodities.
The investigation team, led by Alfonso Iadevaia and Stefano Veronese, reconstructed the journey of at least four victims from Latin America.
That’s why the case is being handled by the District Anti-Mafia Directorate (DDA) under charges of human trafficking.
What now? Protected victims and a city that can’t look away
Nine property searches were also carried out. Some of the young victims have been located and will be placed under the care of the city’s social services.
But this isn’t just a legal case.
It’s a shattered mirror reflecting what still happens across many European cities.
And it was brought to light by the courage of a 25-year-old who, when she had nothing left, dared to speak.
At GoalPress, these stories are not silenced. They are amplified.
Because the first step toward justice is for the world to listen.
