Teen recruited for NSW brothel: Australian Federal Police charge two over human sex trafficking syndicate

The Australian Federal Police has arrested two people in Sydney as part of an international investigation into an alleged sex trafficking ring that allegedly recruited women from Indonesia to work in brothels across NSW, including a 17-year-old girl.

AFP Commander Kate Ferry said warrants had been executed in Australia and Indonesia as authorities swooped on the alleged operation that brought women from Jakarta to Australia on tourist visas.

Search warrants have been executed in the suburbs of Banksia and Arncliffe in Sydney where multiple foreign nationals have been identified as alleged victims of human trafficking.

Earlier this year a 43-year-old man from Arncliffe was arrested over charges of trafficking a 17-year-old girl to Australia for the purpose of sexual exploitation and is due to face Sydney’s Downing Centre on Tuesday.

The AFP will allege the man ran an organised crime syndicate that collaborated with a recruiter in Indonesia to find victims to bring to Australia.

Commander Ferry said a woman had been charged in Jakarta over alleged human trafficking while another woman in Sydney had been arrested after allegedly enrolling foreign nationals at an education provider to prolong their stay in Australia.

“The investigation has resulted in seven women being removed from sexual exploitation here in NSW,” she said.

“A number of other female foreign nationals have been identified as potential victims of human trafficking.

“A number of other women who were still in Indonesia in Jakarta have been identified and we will allege they were being prepared to be trafficked to Australia for the purpose of sexual exploitation.”