PJ exposes cross-border prostitution ring, arrests eight suspects

Eight people have been detained by the Judiciary Police (PJ) on suspicion of being involved with organizing and operating a cross-border criminal organization to exploit prostitution in Macau, the PJ announced yesterday in a special press conference.

The case arrived at the PJ after several pieces of information were collected over some time, with a PJ spokesperson dating some of these back to 2020.

After joint investigations with mainland authorities and the Zhuhai police force aiming to identify the ringleaders, the PJ launched a simultaneous operation yesterday morning on eight apartments, one car park, and two hotel rooms in different areas of Macau.

In the operation, the PJ detained eight suspects from a total of 29 people involved.

According to the PJ, the ring operated using social media advertising to find women in the mainland who were interested in coming to Macau for sex work.

During the operation, the PJ found that one of the apartments used by the ring functioned as a storage facility for products related to the operation. Inside the unit, police found and seized over 20,000 condoms and other products including hygiene items and lubricants.

In the same operation, the PJ seized a total of 240,000 patacas in cash and over 80 electronic devices, including mobile phones, tablets and computer storage devices.

Investigators found that the group had been operating for over three years.

The PJ spokesperson said that the police are currently analyzing the contents of the electronic devices as well as the storage units, aiming to find more evidence and potentially uncover a higher number of involved suspects.

The eight suspects now in PJ custody will be transferred today to the Public Prosecutions Office to be charged with the crimes of exploitation of prostitution and running and participating in a criminal organization dedicated to such activity.