Cristóbal Paulino Fernández, the Cuban who was identified as the leader of a transnational criminal cell dedicated to trafficking women and was arrested just over a week ago in Colombia, led a life of luxury, as revealed in a note published by Interpol.
When announcing the Cuban's arrest, Interpol indicated that this man resided in Colombia, where "authorities discovered that the alleged ringleader led a lavish lifestyle in a luxurious country house and traveled in high-end armored vehicles with a security team."
Likewise, researchers presume that "his fortune, estimated at more than 8,000 million Colombian pesos (around one million euros), comes directly from the trafficking network."
Cristóbal was arrested in Medellin, Colombia, while his main partner was detained in Yucatan, Mexico, earlier this month "in a coordinated operation between specialized prosecutors, investigative police, and the National Central Bureaus of INTERPOL of Mexico and Colombia."
The International Police's account on X shared the moment when the charges were being read to the detainee.
The authorities in America have successfully dismantled a criminal network involved in trafficking Colombian women to Mexico, arresting its leaders and safeguarding eight victims," they wrote in the description.
According to Interpol, interest in the group first arose in June 2022. On that date, several victims in Mexico managed to escape and report their experiences to the authorities.
The pattern of the women who were used was that they mostly came from poor environments in Cali, Medellín, and Bogotá, and were "promised jobs as waitresses or flight attendants in Cancun and Merida."
To facilitate their entry into Mexico, victims received "official" invitation letters, Interpol points out.
Already in the Aztec country, these "were received by members of the criminal group, who took them to safe houses and confiscated their passports. Then they were forced to sign contracts that obligated them to take on unsustainable debts, which would be settled by engaging in sexual work at bars supposedly owned by the group's leader," they add.
Cristóbal owned several nightclubs in the city of Mérida, Yucatán, such as the clubs "Candela," "Tropicana Angus," and "Bandidas," as well as seven brothels where the women "worked."
In recent weeks, the Attorney General's Office of the Republic, in Mexico, conducted raids and shut down all the places.
Currently, investigations continue in Mexico and Colombia "to identify and confiscate financial assets linked to the group, and to apprehend any other member who may still be at large," they continue.
In addition, they mention in their publication that the investigation is supported by INTERPOL through the Turquoise Project, a joint initiative with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and financed by Global Affairs Canada.
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