Syndicate trafficked teen to work in Sydney brothels, police say, two arrested

Federal police have charged a Sydney man with trafficking a teenager to work in NSW brothels while officers in Indonesia arrested a woman who enlisted vulnerable young women from that country’s slums and villages.

Authorities say they have already identified 20 brothels and numerous women across Sydney and the Central Coast who could be linked to the syndicate’s sexual servitude.

Australian authorities have arrested the alleged ringleader of a human trafficking syndicate after a teenager was allegedly brought to Sydney to work in a brothel.

The Australian Border Force in December 2022 allegedly uncovered a cohort of women who appeared to have been brought to Australia on tourist visas only to end up working in brothels under dire conditions.

They called in the Australian Federal Police who say they found evidence multiple women had been brought in from Indonesia by a crime syndicate.

Investigators allege they found women who were having their first month of pay withheld and were not allowed to decide how many clients they saw each day.

Search warrants followed in March, including on a large double-brick home in Banksia where women were found sleeping three to a single room, often on the floor, which had allegedly been rented to house them between brothel shifts.

One of the passports recovered by investigators of women allegedly recruited by the syndicate.Credit: AFP

Police also raided the home of an Indonesian-born Australian citizen, Surya Subekti, in Arncliffe.

Investigators will allege Subekti was the “onshore facilitator” of a crime syndicate. The 43-year-old would allegedly travel to Jakarta to meet with young women in hotel rooms.

There, police claim, he would organise their entry into Australia on tourism visas. But they would allegedly find themselves working long shifts in brothels across Sydney and the Central Coast.

The AFP passed information to the Indonesian National Police to trace how the women had ended up in the syndicate’s grasp.

Indonesian authorities quickly arrested a woman in Jakarta. They will allege she would recruit desperate young women from the rural and urban areas of Indonesia who needed money.

Subekti was arrested on July 10 after one of the women spoke up, telling lead investigator Sarah Manning she had been recruited by the alleged syndicate when she was just 17.

Subekti became the first person in NSW to be charged with trafficking in children by organising for a person under 18 to enter Australia to work in a brothel. The charge is only the third of its kind in Australia.

Subekti was released on bail despite a magistrate noting the “very serious charges” against him in the Downing Centre Local Court on Tuesday.

Crown prosecutor Phoebe Miley-Dyer alleged WhatsApp chats on Subekti’s seized phone outlined the sex work the girl did at brothels, referenced her name, her wages and photos.

“It is the Crown’s submission the accused played a role as principal in this sophisticated international syndicate,” Miley-Dyer said.

Defence barrister Wali Shukoor said Subekti didn’t know the alleged victim’s whereabouts, had strong community ties and held a limited criminal record.

“There may well be very serious credibility issues with someone who is herself involved in a very serious criminal syndicate,” Shukoor said.

Magistrate Margaret Quinn said she “would not going to be doing any victim blaming”.

“I’m not either,” Shukoor said.

The charge is so rare because it relies on vulnerable young women, who have arrived in Australia illegally and endured sexual servitude, to make formal statements to police.

Police worked for months to convince the young woman to speak up, and they have not ruled out further charges if other victims come forward.

Seven women were removed from sexual exploitation in NSW with the fall of the alleged syndicate, the AFP said, and more were stopped from being recruited in Jakarta.

“Human trafficking investigators work tirelessly to help victims struggling through atrocious situations and to ensure they are removed from harmful situations, and their alleged abusers face the full extent of the law in Australia,” AFP Commander Kate Ferry said on Tuesday.

“We understand it can be incredibly difficult for vulnerable victims to come forward, and we want to assure them that there is help and protection available.”

Another woman was also identified during the investigation, accused of falsifying records at an education institution.

She was allegedly paid to produce the false records so the alleged syndicate could keep the women in Sydney on longer-term student visas, sources with knowledge of the AFP investigation said.

The woman is currently being held in Villawood immigration detention centre. She was not charged.

“We are dedicated to identifying criminals who seek to exploit our visa programs and visa holders who are victims of trafficking or modern slavery practices within the sex industry,” ABF Acting Superintendent Mark Jenkins said on Tuesday.

More than $120,000 in fines have been handed down to the brothels so-far linked to the syndicate.

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