Police bust transnational illegal prostitution syndicate, arrest 16 and seize about $18 million in cash

Police busted a transnational illegal prostitution syndicate suspected of trafficking in persons, arresting 16 men and women, seizing about $18 million in cash and freezing about $5 million in suspected criminal proceeds in bank accounts, with 12 of them already charged and appearing in Kowloon City Magistrates' Court on Monday. Police launched a two-day operation starting Thursday targeting organised prostitution in Tsim Sha Tsui and Tuen Mun districts. The syndicate was suspected of trafficking a number of foreign women to Hong Kong to work in prostitution in hotels and using 4 bank accounts to process criminal proceeds.