On Thursday, ACT police jointly with ABF raided an apartment building in Kingston, where a 65-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of running illegal brothels.
The woman has been released on bail and will appear in the ACT Magistracy in the future, according to CanberraTimes. In addition, two women are being questioned by ABF about their immigration status. Police spokesman Scott Moller said the operation was the result of public information and once again demonstrated the importance of public reporting.
"I would like to take this opportunity to thank the community for providing information about illegal brothels and emphasize that such information can greatly assist the police and enable us to conduct investigations and target crime more effectively," Moller said.
Kari Ellis, acting head of the ACT Operations Command, said it was the second similar activity in the past two months and that ABF would continue to work with ACT police to combat potential criminal activity in the future.
In September, ACT police, in conjunction with ABF officials, raided an apartment building in the CanberraReid district and found three illegal Asian brothels. Subsequently, the operators of Chinese citizens Yang Yanjie (Yanjie Yang,) and Zhu Xiaoyu (Xiaoyu Zhu,) were arrested. In addition, four Thai triads arrested at the same time were deported after being detained.
The four men either violated visa conditions or did not have a valid visa, and the police are currently reviewing the seized material for prosecution. Sheriff Adrian Craft said that the police had begun the operation after receiving a report from a crowd. The clues provided by the other party are "clear and reliable".
"the operation of illegal brothels in apartment buildings could have a significant impact on other residents, and the police will continue to target the CBD area of Canberra and improve the living conditions of apartment tenants," said Sheriff Craft. Police also urged people to call 1800 333,000 if they found a similar situation around them.
In July, ACT police raided two brothels in Canberra and arrested a 58-year-old Thai woman facing five charges involving five different women for allowing illegal citizens to work.
Prosecutor Eddie Chen said the raid was part of a police investigation into unsafe practices in Canberra`s sex industry, one of which is to contact Thai authorities. "there seems to be someone from Thailand who specializes in trafficking in human beings to Australia for sexual services," he said. The Thai woman has been released on bail and will return to court later this year.
