Six men who made up a human trafficking gang that forced Malaysian women to work as prostitutes in the UK have been sentenced to 17 years in prison.
The men, of Malaysian or Vietnamese nationality, were handed the jail terms at Southwark crown court after pleading guilty to trafficking women into UK for purposes of sexual exploitation and controlling prostitution for gain.
The gang coerced women into leaving the south-east Asian country with false promises of the prospect of legitimate jobs in the hotel and services industry, with one women even believing she was visiting London on a sightseeing trip.
Upon arriving in Britain their passports and return tickets were seized by a member of the gang, who then forced the women to work in one of their brothels to pay off the debt of the plane tickets.
This week's sentencing brings an end to a five-month operation by the Metropolitan police's clubs and vice unit, which successfully brought down two brothels managed by the trafficking ring, one in London and the other in Birmingham.
Thanh Hue Thi, 44, a cook living at an unnamed north London hotel, was handed a seven and a half year jail sentence after pleading guilty to both trafficking and controlling prostitution, while 50-year-old Kenny Low, a chef from Denham Street, central London, was given a five and a half year spell behind bars for the same offences.
Kwok Leong Hoh, 26, Hay Park, Edgbaston, Birmingham; Choon Fong Loh, 64, Hyde Park Road, central London; and Leng Wah Loh, 40, Holliday Street, Berkhamstead, Hertfordshire, were all sentenced to 15 months in prison after pleading guilty to gaining from prostitution.
The sixth man sentenced, 21-year-old student Godfrey Wong from Rough Hill Drive, Rowley Regis, Birmingham, was handed a 12-month sentence for the same offence.
Following the Met's raids upon the brothels on May 10th of this year, 21 women were rescued, although officers estimate that hundreds of women had been abused in this way before returning home to Malaysia.
Women in either of the brothels in Hyde Park Street; and Hay Park, Edgbaston, Birmingham were forced to work for 12 hours starting at 18:00 GMT everyday and were not allowed outside when not accompanied by a member of the gang.
Police estimate that the six gang members made more than £2 million a year from the brothels, which helped them to lead a "lavish lifestyle", including the shared used of an upmarket property in St Johns Wood, central London.
Speaking after sentencing today, Detective Chief Superintendent Ian Dyson said: "The women that we were able to rescue were only the tip of the iceberg. This criminal gang trafficked hundreds of Malaysian women into the UK many of whom will have believed they were going to work in legitimate professions but found themselves forced and coerced into working in brothels.
"Rather than leaving the UK with the money they had hoped to earn they have returned home abused and mentally scarred."
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