Sham Shui Po Police District launched a major anti-crime operation codenamed "Ling Wing" from Oct. 10 to 12, successfully dismantling an organised transnational prostitution ring active in Sham Shui Po and Tsuen Wan. The syndicate is suspected of trafficking women from Southeast Asian countries into Hong Kong and controlling them for prostitution to profit from the proceeds. A total of 20 people were arrested, about HK$100,000 in cash and a large amount of evidence were seized, and over HK$10 million in suspected crime proceeds were frozen. Sham Shui Po Police District held a case briefing today (Oct. 13).
The core members of the syndicate are Southeast Asians who have lived in Hong Kong for many years. Leveraging their networks and language advantages in both places, they recruited women in Southeast Asia to come to Hong Kong and covered their travel and accommodation costs. Upon arrival, the women were required to provide between 30 and 45 uncompensated sexual services as a condition of exchange. Only after completing these could they earn income through prostitution on a 50-50 split with the syndicate, leaving the victims entirely under the syndicate's control in their early days in Hong Kong.
Police investigations found that the syndicate rented three tenement building units in Sham Shui Po and Tsuen Wan, subdividing them into multiple subdivided flats used as prostitution venues. After earning income, the sex workers had to place all or half of the cash into designated envelopes, which syndicate members collected regularly. Members would then deposit the money into the bank accounts of other core members to launder the proceeds. Over the past few years, the accounts involved have laundered over HK$10 million in crime proceeds.
Based on intelligence, police launched the operation on Oct. 10, conducting raids and arrests in Sham Shui Po, Tsuen Wan, Tuen Mun, Yuen Long, and Sha Tin while the syndicate was escorting a new batch of Thai women from Hong Kong International Airport to prostitution venues. A total of 20 people were arrested — one man and 19 women, aged between 20 and 86 — including the mastermind, core members, and 16 sex workers. Among the arrested, four held Hong Kong identity cards, two held recognisance papers, and 14 held Southeast Asian passports. One has triad backgrounds.
Police said the mastermind and core members are suspected of offences including trafficking persons into or out of Hong Kong, conspiracy to traffic persons into or out of Hong Kong, controlling persons for prostitution, managing vice establishments, living on earnings of prostitution, and dealing with property known or believed to represent proceeds of indictable offences (commonly known as money laundering). In addition, several holders of Southeast Asian passports and recognisance papers are suspected of overstaying and breaching conditions of stay.
Police said two core members of the syndicate have been charged with trafficking persons into or out of Hong Kong and living on earnings of prostitution, and appeared at West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts this morning. The remaining 18 arrested persons are being detained for investigation, with 16 scheduled to appear at West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts tomorrow morning (Oct. 14), while the others will be released on bail pending investigation. Police stressed that human trafficking and controlling prostitution are serious offences, and they will continue to combat such syndicates and the money laundering behind them through intelligence-led operations, adding that further arrests are not ruled out.
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