Eight people have been charged with pimping out women after brothels were raided across the city this week.

The Met's Clubs and Vice Unit cracked the alleged sex traffic ring wide open following leads after safety deposit boxes were raided last year.

Heroin, cocaine, paedophile material, suitcases stuffed with gold dust, fake passports, credit cards, £30 million in cash and even Renaissance art where found in the centres in Park Lane, Hampstead and Edgware.

Chief Counter-terrorism officer John Yates said at the time:

"We believe that this operation has the potential to impact upon many layers of serious crime."

Undercover

Operation Rize sparked a nine month undercover operation following a south-east Asian woman that uncovered a sex trafficking network.

Five brothels in Camden, Harrow, Finchley, Hemel Hempstead and Hertfordshire as well as five homes and business were raided - one property found £50,0000 in cash.

"Horrendous"

Detective Chief Superintendent Richard Martin, head of the Met's Clubs and Vice Unit, said the women 'earned' £20 or £30 from each £200 per client. Adding:

"The experience of the women that are forced into prostitution are absolutely horrendous. They experience violence on a daily basis and are subject to huge debt bondage which they are then forced to pay off by having sex with numerous clients daily. These are some of the most vulnerable people that we come across within our operations. Rescuing these victims and ensuring their safety is our key priority."

Charges

Li Ying, a 43-year-old woman, of Fortune Green Road, West Hampstead appeared Westminster Magistrates Court on Wednesday 22 April charged with three counts of money laundering.

The following people appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court today, 23 April, charged with controlling prostitution for gain. They are Kim Ee, a 49-year-old man of Jupiter Gate, Stevenage and Qui Gong, a 33-year-old woman of Ballards Lane, Finchley.

The following people all appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 23.4.09 charged with the joint enterprise of controlling prostitution for gain. They are:

Xu Han, a 35-year-old woman of St Michaels Road, Welling, Kent.
Scott Wilson, a 38-year-old man of St Michaels Road, Welling, Kent.
Wei Han, a 35-year-old woman from Dublin.
Chong Sum Fum, a 58-year-old man from Lawn Lane, Hemel Hempstead.
Jin Yu, a 25-year-old man, of Stanley Road, Harrow.

Two men, aged 70 and 20, and two women, aged 50 and 25, have all been bailed to return to a date in the future pending further enquiries.