Sex ring smuggled in 500 Asians: RCMP

Bawdy houses

MONTREAL • As many as 500 Asian women were allegedly smuggled into Canada to take part in a countrywide prostitution ring, the RCMP says.

Federal authorities announced Wednesday they had struck against two major cells of the network in the past five days and arrested six people in the greater Montreal and Toronto areas.

The accused are allegedly part of an Asian-based organized crime ring that operated bawdy houses in Halifax, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver.

They face a host of charges including procuring minors and advertising sexual services. Other immigration-related charges could be laid later as well as serious gangsterism charges.

Police say the alleged victims, mainly from Korea and China, received assistance from a criminal organization to enter the country either illegally through land crossings or with student and visitors’ visas obtained under false pretences.

They were then controlled and exploited by the prostitution ring and would be put to work across the country, said RCMP Const. Erique Gasse.

The women were aware they were coming to Canada to work in prostitution, but were told it would be under decent working conditions, Const. Gasse said.

“The victims were exploited for several weeks in one place and then transported across the country to continue the same line of work, still in appalling conditions.”

They were eventually returned to their country of origin, the constable said.

The RCMP hasn’t been able to pinpoint an exact number of victims, but said there could be as many as 500.