Chinese Sex Ring Busted

Nine Chinese nationals and a Ghanaian are in the grips of Ghana's security officials in connection with another sex trafficking deal.

Zhang Quan, a business tycoon, who is suspected to be the ringleader of the group, is in police custody for trafficking some Chinese nationals into the country for sexual exploitations.

Investigations by DAILY GUIDE revealed that officers of the Ghana Immigration Service at the Aflao Border post, arrested seven female Chinese citizens between the ages of 20 and 30 years with a Chinese man, believed to be an errand boy, resident in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire, in the company of Joseph Logan, a Ghanaian, on Friday December 18, 2009.

Quan is suspected to be linked to the human trafficking mafia which engages fellow Chinese ladies in a sex slavery business in Ghana, Nigeria and Togo.

Upon interrogation by Immigration officials, Logan confessed to being a business partner of Quan's and that, he had gone to Lome to meet the victims and escort them to Ghana.

At about 6.00pm Friday, when the Immigration officers stopped the group, Joseph who spoke on behalf of the Chinese nationals because they could not speak English, said they were visiting an uncle at Tema.

He said they were coming to Ghana for the commissioning of a new hotel in Tema believed to belong to the ring leader, Zhang Quan.

The yet-to-be-opened hotel, Tema International Hotel, according to sources close to the nation's security operatives, would have been where the trafficked victims would be offering their services to the non-African expatriate community who are usually purported to be the main patrons.

However, it is unclear why the visas of the ladies and the gentleman were obtained from the Ghana Embassy in Lome for a seven-day validity period in Ghana, though it is relatively cheaper, convenient and safer to fly to Ghana from China through the Kotoka International Airport, Accra.

Not satisfied with the explanation of the spokesperson for the Chinese, they were escorted to the offices of the Ghana Immigration Service headquarters in Accra.

Since then, the seven Chinese ladies had been languishing in the cells of the service while the kingpin, the Ghanaian, and the errand boy are at the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Headquarters of the Ghana Police Service.

The Anti-Human Trafficking Unit, headed by Madam Patience Quaye, has taken over the case and according to intelligence reports, the case would soon be in court.

It would be recalled that arrests relating to a similar issue had been made earlier as three Chinese nationals, including a woman, were charged and sentenced by an Accra Circuit Court for trafficking 10 Chinese girls into the country.

The police rescued seven victims whilst the whereabouts of three others were unknown. A search in the house revealed condoms, contraceptives and other medications.

A Toyota vehicle with registration number GE9314W, used in transporting the victims, was impounded and brought to the police headquarters.

During investigations, the first accused admitted that he and the second accused person transported the victims from China while the third sent them to their respective clients for sex.

One of the victims called Tin Tin, who could speak English, corroborated this and told the police that she and the other girls were given $150 after offering sex services.

By Emelia Ennin Abbey