Hong Kong Police Smash Cross-Border Prostitution Syndicate Trafficking Women from Thailand; 20 Arrested, Over HK$10 Million Frozen
Hong Kong police have smashed a cross-border prostitution syndicate in an operation codenamed "Ling Yik", arresting 20 people aged between 20 and 86 in synchronized raids across five districts — Sham Shui Po, Tsuen Wan, Tuen Mun, Yuen Long and Sha Tin.
Those arrested include 16 sex workers, a 65-year-old Thai woman identified as the ringleader, and several core members. Of the 20 detainees, one is a man and 19 are women; four hold Hong Kong identity cards, two hold recognizance forms, and the remaining 14 hold passports from Southeast Asian countries. Police said many of the syndicate's core members are Southeast Asians who have lived in Hong Kong for years, and that an 86-year-old local man with a triad background was mainly responsible for laundering money.
According to police, the syndicate used its cross-border networks and language advantages to scout targets in Thailand, luring women to Hong Kong with promises of well-paid work. On arrival, the women learned they first had to provide 30 to 45 unpaid sex services to offset travel and accommodation costs, and afterwards split their earnings equally with the syndicate. The brothels operated in old residential buildings in Sham Shui Po and Tsuen Wan, where each woman received eight to nine clients a day at HK$300 per session, and all earnings had to be handed over to the syndicate.
During the operation, police seized about HK$100,000 in cash, along with large quantities of condoms, lubricants, disposable towels, mattresses and bed frames, multiple mobile phones and account books. Police said the syndicate had laundered more than HK$10 million in criminal proceeds over the past several years, and the funds have now been frozen.
Reports said that when police moved in, the syndicate was escorting a newly arrived group of Thai women from the airport to the brothel premises, and the operation prevented more women from being trafficked and exploited.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 深水埗基隆街街景（资料图片），该区为行动地点之一。图片来源：Wikimedia Commons，姒姓賢寧 摄，CC BY-SA 4.0 授权
