The federal judicial police in Brussels arrested seven suspects on Tuesday and Wednesday who are believed to be part of an international prostitution network. The gang is said to have recruited women in Colombia and Brazil in recent years so that they could become sex workers in Belgium, the federal prosecutor’s office said on Wednesday, confirming information from our Dutch-speaking colleagues from Standaard, VRT and Knack.
Federal prosecutors have been investigating a Brazilian criminal organization potentially guilty of human trafficking, sexual exploitation and money laundering for some time. The victims offered their services through websites like Redlights and Quartier-Rouge, and generally worked in rented homes or private homes.
Receiving lower incomes than they had been promised, they were forced to repay high debts and were displaced regularly – which made them very dependent on the prostitution network.
Two suspects of Brazilian nationality were arrested on Tuesday by the police. Five others were arrested on Wednesday during 11 searches carried out in Brussels, Liège, Flémalle, Halle, Braine-l’Alleud, Ostend, Aalst, Grammont and Ghent.
An investigation also carried out abroad
The criminal organization was also under investigation abroad. Last September, the Brazilian federal police announced that they had dismantled an international network exploiting sex workers in Belgium and Croatia.
Around twenty victims were then identified, digital wallets containing 4.25 million euros in cryptocurrencies were seized and at least three suspects were arrested – including the alleged key man, the Brazilian Mauricio G.
The individual was already known to Belgian justice. Convicted several times in Belgium for crimes related to prostitution, he returned to Brazil in 2022, where he is said to have climbed the ranks of the organization’s hierarchy. One of the suspects arrested Tuesday is believed to be his right-hand man in our country.
prostitution Redlights Red Quarter criminal organization international prostitution network
