Police and Immigration Department officers arrested 128 people, including a 15-year-old and transgender individuals, in a raid on a building in Tsim Sha Tsui on Thursday, dismantling over 100 suspected vice units.
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Officers from the Yau Tsim district special duty squad, supported by nearly 100 personnel and the Immigration Department, conducted Operation "FIRESTORM" at James S. Lee Mansion on Carnarvon Road following intelligence and investigation.
Acting in an undercover capacity, officers arrested 27 men and 101 women aged between 15 and 44 on suspicion of "breach of conditions of stay." The arrestees included minors and transgender individuals from various nationalities, including mainland China, Kazakhstan, Russia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam.
According to sources, sexual services were priced between several hundred and over a thousand Hong Kong dollars. Whether the operation was controlled by syndicates remains under investigation.
At the scene, some arrested women wearing short skirts were seen boarding police vehicles with their belongings and suitcases, some covering their faces with clothing. A large contingent of police officers, plainclothes detectives, and ImmD staff cordoned off the area, drawing crowds of onlookers.
Police noted that criminal syndicates often rent units in older buildings for vice activities due to weaker security and more flexible lease terms.
Under the Summary Offences Ordinance, soliciting for immoral purposes in a public place or loitering for such purposes carries a maximum penalty of six months imprisonment and a HK$10,000 fine upon conviction. Additionally, under the Crimes Ordinance, any landlord, tenant, occupier, or person in charge of premises who knowingly permits the premises to be used for prostitution commits an offence, with a maximum penalty of seven years imprisonment.
