Madam misery
Plea to catch female mastermind who trafficks foreign women into Scots prostitution ring
A FEMALE trafficker is heading up one of Scotland’s most notorious prostitution rings, moving exploited women across Scotland and the rest of the UK.
The woman, who also worked in the sex industry, came from south-east Asia to Scotland on a visitor’s visa and claimed to the authorities she was escaping from her country.
But sources close to her operation have revealed the woman, who can’t be named for legal reasons, is raking in cash by forcing women she has trafficked into Scotland into prostitution.
A whistleblower told how she is running a string of foreign prostitutes in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen, as well as forcing girls to work in England.
The women are set up in rental flats paid for by organised crime groups and forced to work 12-hour days to pay back the traffickers who have helped them get into the country illegally.
Their services are advertised on sleazy adult websites offering in-calls and out-calls to punters.
Police confirmed there is a growing trend for “off street” prostitution controlled by criminal gangs involving trafficked women.
A source revealed details of the woman’s ruthless exploitation of trafficked women, saying: “This woman came here from an Asian country on a visitor’s visa and has never left. She also arranged a marriage so she could change her visa status and then set up business.
“The women she has brought into the country pay £3000 to £10,000 to get here and have to work as prostitutes to pay her back. They earn very little because the traffickers take their cut and leave the women very little to send back home. The operation looks slick and professional from the websites but it’s really just backstreet prostitution and exploitation of vulnerable women.
“They move the women every few weeks to avoid being caught. They use legitimate bank accounts to move their money too and are currently making a fortune every week.”
The source said the women are suffering, with some being beaten up by punters, sexually assaulted by criminals helping to run the operation and robbed.
The source added: “They’re locked up in these flats with no protection so they’ve been robbed by punters or assaulted. Not that the people running the operation are any better as they take liberties with the women too. And nothing gets reported, of course, so the police aren’t even aware they exist.
“Because of the pandemic the whole system is a mess. Nobody seems to notice some of these women have come here on visitor visas and never left.”
“The trafficked women end up becoming controlling as well when new girls come. They stop the prostitution but answer the phones and order the women about. They come initially for six months but many stay and are hidden.
“We’ve tried to report this but nobody seems to be listening.”
Police said: “Legal adult services websites provide a platform to advertise sexual services. Advertising in this manner isn’t a criminal offence.
“However, where intelligence suggests victims are being sexually exploited by others for financial gain, police will carry out criminal investigations.”