Some 15 transgender Brazilians who were forced into prostitution using black magic have been freed from sex slavery following police raids in southeastern Spain.

Authorities busted the prostitution ring in the city of Murcia Wednesday, making 13 arrests and seizing three flats after one of the victims managed to escape and raise the alarm.

“The criminal group was headed by a Brazilian national, who from Spain and with the aid of associates, recruited youths in Brazil who were in a precarious economic condition. They were then tricked into coming to Spain,” police said in a statement.

Black magic paraphernalia linked to Santeria, an Afro-American religion thought to have originated in the Caribbean, was discovered throughout the flat during a police raid which was filmed by Spanish authorities.

The 15 victims were coerced into moving to Spain before being forced into sex work and drug dealing to pay back their debt. All 15 were locked in a flat, beaten regularly and forced to both consume and sell drugs.

So far, 13 arrests have been made in connection with the raid; four suspects remain in custody while the remainder have been released on bail pending further investigation.

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The suspects are aged between 19 and 60 and come from a diverse set of nations including Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Romania, and Spain.

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