Almost 50 women trafficked through underground tunnels to work as nightclub "sex slaves" were rescued from the tourism hotspot Cartagena, Colombian prosecutors said. The victims -- 26 Colombians and 23 Venezuelans - were allegedly forced into working as prostitutes in nightclub basements connected by a series of tunnels.

They were tricked with false promises of work before being held captive in "precarious conditions," Attorney General Mario Gomez said in a press conference. The victims were relieved of their passports and identity cards by a network of pimps engaged in the "sexual exploitation of women."