BUENOS AIRES – Law enforcement agents staged a series of raids on 35 brothels in Argentina’s Cordoba province, rescuing 11 Dominican and nine Paraguayan women, police spokesmen said.

The raids took place on Saturday at brothels across Cordoba, where a new provincial law targeting people trafficking just took effect.

Officers also rescued 25 Argentine women and arrested 43 people for violating the new law in Cordoba, located about 800 kilometers (497 miles) from Buenos Aires, police spokesmen said.

The women were turned over to the Secretariat for the Prevention of People Trafficking.

More than 500 law enforcement agents took part in the raids, which resulted in the closing of 35 brothels in different parts of Cordoba.