A Sydney man has been charged for allegedly trafficking a teenager from Indonesia

An additional seven potential alleged victims were removed from sexual exploitation in Australia.

Federal police have shut down a crime syndicate they allege brought foreign nationals from Indonesia — including a teenager — to Australia to be exploited for sex work.

A Sydney man has been charged for allegedly trafficking a 17-year-old teenager from Indonesia to engage in sex work.

The AFP will allege the 43-year-old man is the leader of an organised crime syndicate that worked with an Indonesian-based recruiter to find victims and send them to Australia.

The 43-year-old was arrested at his Arncliffe home in July after a 20-month investigation.

A man has been charged with trafficking a teenager while investigators removed seven potential victims from sexual exploitation. Picture : NCA Newswire / Gaye Gerard

An Indonesian woman, suspected of being involved in recruiting victims of human trafficking, has also been charged.

The AFP have also removed seven potential victims from sexual exploitation in Australia following the investigation, which was initially launched in December 2022.

It came after reports foreign nationals were being forced into sexual servitude when they arrived in Australia, in breach of their visa conditions.

Search warrants were executed in Banksia and Arncliffe in March 2024 where a number of foreign nationals were identified as potential victims of human trafficking.

“In Jakarta...Indonesian National Police found multiple passports of individuals who police will allege had been recruited by the syndicate and were being prepared to be trafficked to Australia,” AFP Commander Kate Ferry said at a press conference on Tuesday afternoon.

Further inquiries led to additional search warrants of three brothels across Sydney where investigators found nine more women alleged to be engaged in sex work in violation of their visa conditions.

Police have also identified a 35-year-old Sydney woman who they allege enrolled students in courses to keep them in Australia longer before further exploiting them to work in the sex industry.

“We will allege this woman enrolled victims at an education provider in Sydney to prolong their stay in Australia, during which time they were further exploited to work in the sex industry instead of attending their enrolled tertiary education,” Ms Ferry said.

Ms Ferry said the AFP is confident they have “disrupted the criminal syndicate”, but warned human trafficking is an under reported crime.

Investigations remain ongoing and additional criminal charges are being considered.

Originally published as A Sydney man has been charged for allegedly trafficking a teenager from Indonesia