APNewsBreak: Arrests in Thailand-US sex trafficking ring

[webfact]

APNewsBreak: Arrests in Thailand-US sex trafficking ring 
AMY FORLITI, Associated Press

 

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — About a dozen people were arrested in cities across the U.S. on Tuesday for running what authorities called a sophisticated sex trafficking operation in which hundreds of women were brought from Thailand to America under fraudulent visas and forced to work as prostitutes to pay off tens of thousands of dollars in bondage debts.

 

The women — including one who was forced to have sex with strangers for 12 hours a day, six or seven days a week— were not allowed to move about freely and were "effectively modern day sex slaves," according to a redacted indictment unsealed Tuesday.

 

The arrests, along with the recent arrest of the organization's boss in Belgium, will effectively dismantle the operation, said Alex Khu, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Minneapolis.

 

"We feel pretty confident that based on the number of important-position folks we are taking down, we'll really hurt this organization," he said in an interview with The Associated Press in advance of an official announcement about the arrests. "It will take down this ring."

 

Tuesday's indictment charges 17 people with various counts, including conspiracy to commit sex trafficking, conspiracy to commit forced labor, conspiracy to engage in money laundering and conspiracy to commit visa fraud. About a dozen people were arrested in the Minneapolis area, Chicago, Atlanta and Los Angeles.

 

Khu said his office began investigating a sex trafficking case in the Twin Cities in January 2014 and discovered it was part of an international ring and "a very sophisticated, complex network operating throughout the United States ... where women are really placed on a circuit, traveling from one city to the next."

 

According to the indictment, since 2009, hundreds of women were brought from Bangkok,Thailand, to several U.S. cities, including Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Minneapolis, Washington and Dallas. The women were from poor backgrounds, spoke little English and were lured with promises of a better life.

 

The operation's bosses or traffickers in Thailand entered the women into a bondage debt "contract" in exchange for a visa and travel to the U.S. As part of the contract, the women would owe a debt ranging from $40,000 to $60,000 and would be "owned" by the organization until that debt was repaid.

 

The women were often encouraged to have breast implants to make them more appealing to potential clients. The cost of the surgery was added to their debt.

 

Once they arrived in the U.S., the women were forced to have sex in various "houses of prostitution" including hotels, massage parlors and apartments. They were not allowed to leave without escorts — who would have sex with the victims as part of their payment.

 

The women were forced to turn over most of the money they earned, as well as pay for rent, food and personal items, making it virtually impossible to repay their debt, the indictment said.

 

The organization controlled the women by isolating them and threatening to harm their families in Thailand if they escaped. In one case, Khu said, a woman tried to get out of a situation and the organization sent "muscle" to assault a family member in Thailand, breaking his bones.

 

The indictment says one victim recruited in 2010 agreed to a $40,000 bondage debt. When she arrived in the U.S., she was sent to work at two prostitution houses for 12 hour days, six to seven days a week, and was not allowed to leave by herself. The terms of her contract changed and she was then forced to work at a "spa" in Houston that was open 24 hours a day.

 

There, she lived on a mattress on the floor with another victim, and was required to have sex at all hours. She ran away one night, and began receiving emails that suggested her family inThailand would be harmed and her visa would be cancelled.

 

"They don't control the money. They don't control the customers or the johns. They can't refuse a john. They don't have freedom of movement. ... The female victims are literally helpless," Khu said. "They can't get out."

 

The indictment describes a highly organized operation, with many tiers of employment. In addition to the traffickers, the organization also employed house bosses who ran the prostitution houses, advertised the women on websites and scheduled customers. Other "facilitators" helped with money laundering or booking travel for the victims, while "runners" would escort the women from place to place.

 

Khu said the head of the organization, who was based in Thailand, was recently arrested in Belgium for separate trafficking offenses there. He said the U.S. plans to seek her extradition.

 

-- © Associated Press 2016-10-05

[Mickmouse1]

"Her extradition" obviously she is Thai not Nigerian ?

[Srikcir]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

along with the recent arrest of the organization's boss in Belgium

Hopefully this will lead to the Thai organization(s) that does the "recruiting."

[aussiandrew]

Good result Home Land Security.

[DoctorG]

The real question should be how they managed to get the visas. From what I read on here it appears very difficult to get tourist visas for Thai girls to go almost anywhere.

[Borzandy]

2 minutes ago, DoctorG said:

The real question should be how they managed to get the visas. From what I read on here it appears very difficult to get tourist visas for Thai girls to go almost anywhere.

How the US immigration has accepted a fake visa, Now all the immigration officers are connected to a central server and must know all the visa details.

[bangkapi]

Let's examine what kind of a society or world matrix we are fed that leads to an operation like this being financially viable.

So many things are taken for granted because people believe the "news" stories that press emotional buttons.

It would have taken very little effort for any of those trafficked or exploited individuals to announce their situation and get out of it at any time.

What are the conditions and events that led to this even happening?  We all know how hard it is for Thai tourists to get a visa to visit the USA.

The mind boggles.  I assure you that even though it is stated in the post, there are no "important position" folks that will suffer from this.

 

[BB1955]

I would suspect they had help with visa s , or had some means of getting past the criteria for a visa . 

[IAMHERE]

The clerks at the US Embassy need to be vetted. Hundreds of visa's issued and what looks like absolutely no follow up when the visas were then overstayed. I want to know who at the US Embassy issued these visas.

[scorecard]

11 minutes ago, bangkapi said:

Let's examine what kind of a society or world matrix we are fed that leads to an operation like this being financially viable.

So many things are taken for granted because people believe the "news" stories that press emotional buttons.

It would have taken very little effort for any of those trafficked or exploited individuals to announce their situation and get out of it at any time.

What are the conditions and events that led to this even happening?  We all know how hard it is for Thai tourists to get a visa to visit the USA.

The mind boggles.  I assure you that even though it is stated in the post, there are no "important position" folks that will suffer from this.

 

 

" It would have taken very little effort for any of those trafficked or exploited individuals to announce their situation and get out of it at any time. "

 

You really believe that?

 

I don't, I believe 99% of the victims would be very afraid to speak up, the story already indicates their movements and actions were very closely monitored.

 

The nasties who run this type of operation would likely have little hesitation to break the girls legs or worse for any minor infraction of the 'rules'. Firstly as punishment and also to warn other girls to toe the line.

 

Hope all the folks involved in running this get life in prison,no chance of parole, and with hard labour.

[williamgeorgeallen]

how do they keep these operations a secrete? now this ring has been busted they should go all the way up the chain. there must be hundreds if not thousands of leads to follow from who issued/accepted visas, who ran the establishments, how they were advertised and so on. 

[pookiki]

Obviously, sex trafficking and prostitution are the worst of the worst. However, debt bondage of Thai migrant workers is quite pervasive - from blueberry pickers in Norway to farm workers and garment workers in the US and massage workers in S. Korea. It is a terrible situation. 

 

However, the same can be said about the Burmese, Lao, Cambodians, and Vietnamese who are trafficked to Thailand and suffer worst fates than their Thai counterparts.

 

As for the visa situation, many migrant workers often enter the US under H-2 visa provisions.

Edited October 5, 2016 by pookiki
grammar

[Baerboxer]

20 minutes ago, pookiki said:

Obviously, sex trafficking and prostitution are the worst of the worst. However, debt bondage of Thai migrant workers is quite pervasive - from blueberry pickers in Norway to farm workers and garment workers in the US and massage workers in S. Korea. It is a terrible situation. 

 

However, the same can be said about the Burmese, Lao, Cambodians, and Vietnamese who are trafficked to Thailand and suffer worst fates than their Thai counterparts.

 

As for the visa situation, many migrant workers often enter the US under H-2 visa provisions.

 

Matey, one of the worst countries for debt bondage of poor workers and sex trafficking is India - and they do it all internally, no need to travel. But no one sanctions them because they all want access to their vast market and cheap labor.

 

Welcome to the modern world in the third millenium.

[alofthailand]

3 hours ago, aussiandrew said:

Good result Home Land Security.

Yes we can rest in our beds safely now!

[alofthailand]

1 hour ago, pookiki said:

Obviously, sex trafficking and prostitution are the worst of the worst. However, debt bondage of Thai migrant workers is quite pervasive - from blueberry pickers in Norway to farm workers and garment workers in the US and massage workers in S. Korea. It is a terrible situation. 

 

However, the same can be said about the Burmese, Lao, Cambodians, and Vietnamese who are trafficked to Thailand and suffer worst fates than their Thai counterparts.

 

As for the visa situation, many migrant workers often enter the US under H-2 visa provisions.

Yes but non sex slavery does not really hit the head lines or appeal to people's need for sensationalism

[swerver]

2 hours ago, DoctorG said:

The real question should be how they managed to get the visas. From what I read on here it appears very difficult to get tourist visas for Thai girls to go almost anywhere.

 

That is correct, as a matter of fact some countries even when they have a visa for that country entrance immigration officers will not allow them to enter if the girls look sort of promiscuous. HK the other day turned two around and put them back on the plane. Big hullabaloo of course from Exceptionalistan about human rights of which itself is the worlds biggest offender.

[Old Croc]

2 hours ago, Borzandy said:

How the US immigration has accepted a fake visa, Now all the immigration officers are connected to a central server and must know all the visa details.

The visas weren't fake, they were fraudulently obtained. Fake or forged visas don't get accepted anymore for travel to countries with fully computerized systems.

The gangs would have applied for the girl's visas using other peoples IDs or false information.

It's not up to the Embassy to follow up on overstayers, that's the job of Immigration enforcement officers in country. Modern, organised countries can get computer generated lists comparing arrivals and departures therefore identifying overstayers. This is usually the starting point for locating these people.

This type of sex slavery has been going on for decades. Thai woman have always been prominent in the trade.

[Old Croc]

26 minutes ago, swerver said:

 

That is correct, as a matter of fact some countries even when they have a visa for that country entrance immigration officers will not allow them to enter if the girls look sort of promiscuous. HK the other day turned two around and put them back on the plane. Big hullabaloo of course from Exceptionalistan about human rights of which itself is the worlds biggest offender.

No one gets refused entry because they look "sort of promiscuous".

A person's appearance, however, may result in them getting interviewed or examined more closely.

[pookiki]

4 hours ago, Baerboxer said:

 

Matey, one of the worst countries for debt bondage of poor workers and sex trafficking is India - and they do it all internally, no need to travel. But no one sanctions them because they all want access to their vast market and cheap labor.

 

Welcome to the modern world in the third millenium.

Would agree and it is still linked to the caste system and impacts Dalits (formerly called 'untouchables'). Not sure who is getting sanctioned these days.  The EU keeps saying it is going to sanction Thailand over slavery on fishing boats but............ like you said.

[Prbkk]

And the thing missing in this story? As always, still looking for the Mr Big in the Thai end of the operation. Never to be found, arrested, identified, pursued. Living in luxury, safe in his protection and ready for the next chapter in imposing untold misery on others for self- enrichment

[Baerboxer]

5 minutes ago, pookiki said:

Would agree and it is still linked to the caste system and impacts Dalits (formerly called 'untouchables'). Not sure who is getting sanctioned these days.  The EU keeps saying it is going to sanction Thailand over slavery on fishing boats but............ like you said.

 

5 minutes ago, pookiki said:

Would agree and it is still linked to the caste system and impacts Dalits (formerly called 'untouchables'). Not sure who is getting sanctioned these days.  The EU keeps saying it is going to sanction Thailand over slavery on fishing boats but............ like you said.

 

All bluster. The EU likes to bellow and threaten and then pat itself on the back politically. But won't ruffle the feathers of its businesses.

 

No one, AFAIK, has ever threatened India - about the caste exploitation, the horrendous sex trafficking, lack of human rights, corruption in businesses etc etc etc. Because they are too important now as a commerce partner.

 

So they hit countries like Thailand, where it's nice to visit and take advantage of all the country has to offer, whilst telling them off. Or Cambodia seems next on the list. But China and India - too big and important.

 

Western hypocrisy - the finest kind!

[Alive]

I bet the pimp for these women assured them they can work as prostitutes then if caught they can claim they were victims and even get green cards. They had that big sweatshop run by a Thai in Los Angeles where 74 or so 'victims' got visa to America and green cards. I'm sure these women knew what was going on. They'll scream victim but I am sure they had some idea what they were getting into. But of course going back to Thailand is so dangerous for them. they might be killed so the US should give them green cards and even money to get started in America. If they get greencards, jail them for 5 years first.

[Acharn]

12 hours ago, Mickmouse1 said:

"Her extradition" obviously she is Thai not Nigerian ?

Probably, although I don't see anything there that says she might not be Belgian. Could be Nigerian, too, come to think of it. Nowadays people of any nationality can be anywhere.

[Acharn]

3 hours ago, Baerboxer said:

 

80 % - lets see those surveys and reports then. What bllxcs.

There are organizations, set up as NGOs, that issue such reports and make a good living from soliciting donations to help the poor women. I remember 30 years ago they were insisting that there were two million prostitutes in Thailand. As you say, a load of bllxcs. In this case it sounds like the women knew beforehand what the work was they were signing up for, but it turned out conditions were much worse than they expected. Also, the article didn't say how many women were involved, but from reading between the lines I would guess it's a couple of dozen, at most. That's still deplorable, and I'm hoping at least some of the "high level people" get prison time out of it, but it's not the enormous tragedy it will be made out to be by the people who make a living from agitating about "the sex trafficking."+

[metisdead]

.....An offensive troll post has been removed as well as the replies......