Mexican security authorities found 14 women, allegedly victims of human trafficking, at a bar in the municipality of Benito Juárez, which includes the resort city of Cancún, the Quintana Roo Attorney General’s Office in the Mexican Caribbean reported Sunday.
The women, all Mexican nationals, were taken to the Attorney General’s Office for protection, the institution said in a statement.
According to the Attorney General’s Office, its investigation indicates the women were forced to provide sexual services at the bar, where a man kept 60% of their earnings.
The man was arrested and charged with human trafficking for the purpose of prostitution, the Attorney General’s Office said.
CNN is seeking to determine if the man has legal representation and how he will plead.
The Attorney General’s Office also said that a search of the bar—which was subsequently closed—resulted in the seizure of condoms, cash, a notebook, and a laptop. He added that the Navy, the National Guard, and local police participated in the operation.
This is not the first operation of its kind carried out by Mexican authorities in Quintana Roo. In May 2024, the state Attorney General’s Office and the National Guard located 17 women who were allegedly victims of human trafficking. Of these, 15 were Argentinian and the other two were Mexican.
From January to June of this year, 166 victims of human trafficking were registered in Quintana Roo, according to the most recent report from the Executive Secretariat of the National Public Security System.
The figure for Quintana Roo represents 27.89% of the 595 cases of human trafficking recorded nationwide so far in 2025.
Source: cnnespanol
