Lix Verónica Novoa, a woman accused of recruiting victims for human trafficking networks in Mexico, was apprehended in Villavicencio, Meta department. According to the Prosecutor’s Office, Novoa used social media to lure women with false job offers at five-star hotels in Cancún. Instead, the victims were kidnapped and forced into prostitution.
Investigators revealed that Novoa played a pivotal role in human trafficking operations in Cancún, a tourist hotspot where victims were reportedly allowed entry despite strict immigration controls that often hinder Colombian families.
“The material evidence indicates that the defendant apparently located the victims through social media, offered them jobs at a five-star hotel in Cancún, Mexico, and arranged for them to receive documentation, airline tickets, and money so they could travel abroad,” stated the Prosecutor’s Office.
Upon arrival in Mexico, victims were met by accomplices who transported them to Playa del Carmen in Quintana Roo. There, they were stripped of their documents, detained, and forced to work in nightclubs under abusive conditions. The women were coerced into sexual exploitation to repay fabricated debts for their upkeep and travel expenses. Most clients were foreign tourists visiting Cancún.
One victim managed to escape and, upon returning to Colombia, reported her ordeal to the Prosecutor’s Office. She disclosed that she had traveled to Mexico in March 2024 with three other victims. Her testimony, along with evidence gathered by the Technical Investigation Unit (CTI), led to an arrest warrant for Novoa.
Novoa was captured during a search operation conducted with the support of the National Army in Villavicencio. She was presented before judicial review judges, where a specialized prosecutor from the Meta Section charged her with human trafficking. Although Novoa denied the charges, a judge ordered her to remain in custody.
The Prosecutor’s Office is urging other victims to come forward and identify Novoa as their recruiter, aiming to strengthen the case and pursue additional charges against her.
Source: Semana
