The French police dismantled a network of prostitution for Brazilian girls, run exclusively by Brazilian pimps, which operated in the east and south of France.
Thirteen people were detained for questioning on Monday (22), in the cities of Marseille, Vitrolles, Fos-sur-Mer and Charleville-Mézières. Eight of them have already been indicted for pimping and conspiracy with aggravation. Two suspects are serving preventive detention.
The prostitution network was led by four Brazilians who had no experience with the French police. They were assisted by ex-prostitutes, who were in charge of recruiting the girls and organizing meetings with clients, through calls to a telephone exchange. Ads about the girls were posted on the internet. About 30 Brazilian youths would have been recruited in France, Spain or directly in Brazil.
Paid sex took place in rooms or apartments dedicated to prostitution in several cities in the south and east of the country, such as Martigues, Vitrolles, Fos-sur-Mer, Marseilles, Charleville-Mézières, Fréjus and Rodez. TV channel CNews says the pimping network was booming and generating profits for the four “managers” of the business.
Brazilian women who prostituted themselves had to pay between 250 and 300 euros a week for the place of work, the equivalent of around R$1,850. However, pimps charged additional costs for each service provided to women. They paid €20 euros, around R$124, for the telephone exchange that booked the passes, a commission for travel when the customer did not live in the same city, security and logistics fees.
The gang’s leaders would put up to 15 women to sleep in the same apartment, on mattresses scattered on the floor, reported a journalist from CNews. During the searches, investigators found €20,000, equivalent to R$124,000 in cash.
Network operated for five years
Investigations began a year ago, after an anonymous letter of complaint. But the Brazilian prostitution network had operated for at least five years in French territory. During this period, the pimps would have transferred €150,000, the equivalent of R$925,000, to accounts in Spain and Brazil.
The police in charge of the case are from the Police Judiciary Police of Marseilles Pimping Repression Brigade. They work in collaboration with agents of the inter-ministerial research group for the Provence-Alpes-Côtes-d’Azur region.
Five Brazilians, without knowing whether they are men or women, who were held in custody for questioning since the beginning of the week, should be presented to a judge this Thursday (25).
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