Elena Chong/The Straits Times
A Vietnamese woman in Singapore was sentenced to 29 months in jail for being the head of a well-run prostitution ring that netted over $25,000 per month.
Huynh Thi Kieu Trang, 35, who faced 103 charges, pleaded guilty to 34 counts of living on prostitution earnings, harbouring women procured for prostitution, and obstructing the course of justice.
This photo shows rows of pubs and bars along a street in Singapore known as the red light district. A Vietnamese madam and her husband were arrested for operating a “sophisticated” vice ring that included over 32 women. (Photo: ROSLAN RAHMAN/AFP/Getty Images)
She and her husband, Quek Choon Leong, 34, who is also facing multiple vice-related charges, ran the operation for about two years until their arrest on July 23, 2013.
Huynh, who first came to Singapore in 2005, initially earned money renting out rooms for Vietnamese hostesses or prostitutes. Later, Huynh suggested to her husband that they propose to their tenants to work as prostitutes under them. This meant the women would hand over a share of their earnings in return for accommodation, meals and help in extending their stay here.
Huynh hired recruiters in parts of Vietnam to lure “attractive women” into the prostitution business and paid the scouts $500 per prostitute they sent to Singapore. On average, the couple had about 20 Vietnamese women working under them each month. Altogether, 32 women were involved.
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http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/courts-crime/viet-woman-jailed-for-running-vice-business
