Macau, Guangdong police detain 77 in vice ring
Bastillepost · 2 SOURCESabout 4 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
Macau’s Judiciary Police and mainland Chinese police have jointly broken up an alleged prostitution syndicate that they say used social chat groups to manage cross-border vice activities in Macau and Guangdong. Police said the network had been operating since March, mainly targeting clients in hotels in the Cotai area and charging between 1,000 and 2,500 patacas per transaction. Investigators said the operation involved about MOP5.3 million over roughly six months, and a total of 77 men and women were detained across Macau and several Guangdong cities. The case also involved a foreign domestic worker accused of leaking hotel information to help the group evade detection.
Key Points
- Macau police said they received intelligence in July that women and unemployed people were being recruited into chat groups allegedly used to control prostitution activities.
- Investigators identified two alleged ringleaders who opened and managed the groups, charged entry fees, and arranged pimps to find clients.
- In the early hours of 23 September, Macau officers arrested 16 people in multiple Cotai locations, including a Hong Kong woman and a Nepalese domestic worker.
- Police also took away 11 women suspected of prostitution and four male clients from hotels across Cotai during the coordinated operation.
- Mainland police arrested 31 people in Guangzhou, Zhuhai, Zhongshan, Foshan and Shenzhen, including a Macau-based alleged kingpin and 15 women suspected of involvement.
Why It Matters
For Hong Kong readers, the case underlines how alleged vice operations can move people, money and information across Macau, Guangdong and Hong Kong through online groups and hotel networks. It also shows that cross-border enforcement can quickly widen an investigation beyond one city when suspects, facilitators and clients are spread across the Greater Bay Area.