Hong Kong police arrest 39 in crackdown on syndicate bringing in mainland Chinese sex workers

Superintendent Wan King-hang of the Kowloon East crime unit said those arrested included the alleged ringleader and six core members of the triad-controlled sex ring.

“Police also froze three bank accounts containing HK$4.35 million in suspected crime proceeds,” Wan said.

The syndicate also posted photos of the sex workers in revealing outfits on social media platforms such as Telegram to advertise their services, according to the force.

A source said the syndicate’s alleged ringleader was believed to be the office-bearer and a “red-pole fighter” for the Kwun Tong faction of Sun Yee On triad, adding that he was arrested at his home in eastern Kowloon.

Police began their investigation into the racket after intelligence indicated it had been expanding its illegal prostitution activities since May.

“The syndicate recruited mainland sex workers to come to Hong Kong through contacts in Guangdong and then arranged for them to stay in various hotels in Kowloon, including a five-star hotel,” Wan said.

He said each client was charged between HK$600 and HK$1,600 for sex services, but the vice syndicate took half of the proceedings.

“A preliminary investigation revealed the racket could pocket an estimated HK$3 million a month from such illegal sex businesses,” the superintendent said.

The insider said the syndicate arranged for more than 100 sex workers to come to the city a month.

Chief Inspector Ho Kai-ho of the Kowloon East anti-triad squad said members of the syndicates regularly visited the hotels to collect earnings from the sex workers.

He said the money was deposited to three bank accounts that were used to launder the crime proceeds, adding that the investigation revealed the syndicate received more than HK$33 million of income.

Officers raided three hotels, including the five-star Tsim Sha Tsui establishment, and arrested 25 sex workers from the mainland on Thursday.

A 51-year-old woman was arrested at the Tsim Sha Tsui hotel, with officers seizing HK$110,000 of cash that was suspected to have been collected from the sex workers.

Officers also arrested a 30-year-old mainland man in a hotel in Kwun Tong.

The two suspects were arrested on suspicion of using funds earned from sex work, according to police.

On Friday morning, police arrested the alleged ringleader and two core members of the syndicate. The three men were detained on suspicion of controlling others for the purpose of prostitution.

On the same day, a 56-year-old woman, who is the suspected holder of one of the three bank accounts, was arrested on suspicion of money laundering.

During the two-day operation, code-named “Fireplain,” officers also raided brothels controlled by the racket in Kwun Tong and arrested another seven mainland prostitutes and a 75-year-old local man.

All the suspects were still being held for questioning as of Friday afternoon.

The force said further arrests were possible as the investigation was ongoing.

Wan said police would continue to gather intelligence and take action to combat triad-related activities and organized crime.

Between January and May this year, police handled 787 reports of triad-related crimes, a 6.2 per cent increase from 741 cases logged in the same period in 2023.