How alleged Chinese sex trafficker Binjun Xie was caught inside a ceiling roof in Melbourne

Known as ‘The Hammer’, an alleged human trafficker who made millions of dollars through keeping women as sex slaves, has finally been caught in Melbourne. See the video.

An alleged human trafficker who authorities claim kept women as sex slaves hid in the ceiling of his hide-out when he was caught after a nationwide manhunt.

Binjun Xie allegedly made tens of millions of dollars from his network of alleged illegal brothels across Australia, which he filled with women from overseas who were tricked into working for him.

The alleged powerful Chinese organised crime figure known as “The Hammer” had been a major suspect of human trafficking for years before he was detained.

Surveillance officers spent months monitoring him in an investigation that sifted through thousands of documents.

Xie was suspected to be living a lavish lifestyle in Burwood in Sydney but he was nabbed when he twitched the curtains at his hide-out in Hoppers Crossing in Melbourne’s west.

Australian Border Force officers sought a Migration Act warrant and waited with “eyes on” – teams planted around the unassuming suburban home to stop him from running.

The warrant was granted in less than 90 minutes which allowed officers to knock on the door and ask Xie to come out.

He refused but they had a locksmith on hand and officers wearing bulletproof vests entered the home.

Alleged sex trafficker Binjun Xie was found in this modest home in Hoppers Crossing. Picture: Supplied

Binjun Xie taken into detention from Hoppers Crossing in Melbourne’s west. Picture: Supplied

Xie was hiding in the ceiling, with his body half way into the manhole when he was detained.

“He was trying to get into the roof cavity but he couldn’t get in,” Australian Border Force Assistant Commissioner James Watson said.

“He was trying to hide but eventually he just recognised that that was fruitless and ultimately came with us and was detained.”

Xie was caught with 15 separate mobile phones with different numbers that were allegedly used to run the brothels and traffic women into Australia.

Investigations are now continuing to tear apart his network, which ran across New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland.

“His activities are the subject of ongoing investigation I’d describe as being significant,” Asst. Commissioner Watson said.

Binjun Xie was alleged to have been running a multi-million brothel network staffed by sex slaves trafficked from China. Picture: 60 Minutes

Documents seen by this masthead show a tangled network of misery in Britain, where he was controlling brothels in Exeter, Portsmouth and Bath.

He was deported to China after he was released from a five-year jail term in the UK but then moved to Australia.

Xie was picked up on August 30 after a year-long investigation, which was initiated after he was identified in a 60 Minutes report in 2022

He was detained at Melbourne Immigration Detention Centre (MIDC), in Broadmeadows before being deported from Melbourne Airport on a commercial plane bound for China.

The Australian Border Force had a team of officers working on Xie, amid fears the well-connected alleged criminal may escape their net.

They sent more than 600 separate notices for information to banks, real estate agents and phone and internet companies to piece together the elusive figure’s location.

Australian Border Force Assistant Commissioner (South) James Watson. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

Asst. Commissioner Watson said Xie’s deportation as a result of his visa breach was a complex case.

“He is somebody who was very experienced in terms of criminal activity. He had an extensive sentence of imprisonment overseas that’s a matter of record,” Asst. Commissioner Watson said.

“He took extraordinary efforts to conceal his whereabouts, to actively avoid ABF efforts to locate him.”

Xie’s alleged criminal activity gave him a network of contacts to hide.

Binjun Xie at Melbourne Airport awaiting a deportation flight to China. Picture: Supplied

Xie avoided areas such as high priced Box Hill in Melbourne’s east, which is home to a large population of people with Chinese descent.

The “vulnerable” women working at the brothels linked to Xie were subjected to “appalling conditions”, Asst. Commissioner Watson said.

“This will have a substantial impact on the efficiency of this network when you take out somebody who I would allege is the leader, the head of this syndicate,” he said.

“But we recognise that there are others there that want to try and take up. We’ve got a lot of work and activity, not only with the ABF, but with our partners with respect to this.”

Binjun Xie being escorted through Melbourne Airport. Picture: Supplied

Human traffickers exploit the vulnerability of their victims, isolating them from family and friends and warning them they have no-one to help them.

Some fear they will be shunned in their home countries, particularly South Korea, if it is discovered they have worked in a brothel.

Traffickers have large extensive networks, often threatening victims’ families in their home country if they do not comply.

However, victims can access the Red Cross-run Support Program for Trafficked People, which can provide help with visas, interpreters and housing.

Dr James Cockayne has sought more help for human trafficking survivors. Picture: Danielle Smith

Dr James Cockayne, New South Wales Anti-Slavery Commissioner, said more funding needed to be allocated to the program because 80 per cent of human trafficking victims do not make reports to authorities.

“Ensuring services are trauma-informed, accessible, and culturally adapted is central to assisting survivors to reclaim their freedom,” he said.

“Some survivors may need translation and interpretation services, help in navigating the criminal justice system, support to find safe and secure accommodation, and care for their specific physical and mental healthcare needs.”

Anyone who is a victim of trafficking can call 03 9345 1800, visit the Red Cross website or the ABF Border watch website.