OREANDA-NEWS. October 20, 2010. The criminal case of an international criminal organization that has been transferring Gomel Oblast residents to Turkey for sexual exploitation since 2006 has been submitted to the Sovetsky District Court of Gomel, representatives of the Information and Public Relations Department of the Belarusian Interior Ministry said.

The Central Office for Organized Crime and Corruption of the Interior Ministry has been investigating the criminal organization since March 2010. More than 20 victims have been ascertained, including one underage girl. They were lured by offers of getting employed as waitresses, housemaids, or market sales persons. Once in Antalya the girls were sold to local brothels at USD 2,000 each.

The slaves were transported by air via Moscow and Borispol or via a ferry from Sochi. According to the available information, the gang has set up similar business in Russia, Ukraine, Moldova as well as Latin America and the Dominican Republic. There are hundreds of victims.

At present nine active members of the gang (three Turkey citizens and six Belarus citizens) have faced charges in line with article 181 “Slave trade” and article 285 “Creation of a criminal organization” of the Criminal Code of Belarus. Three have been detained, two are under house arrest. The rest are in Turkey. Turkish law enforcement agencies have been requested to provide assistance. In line with Belarusian laws each criminal faces up to 20 years in prison.

According to the Belarusian Interior Ministry, in comparison with neighboring countries the scale of slave trade in Belarus is small. Since 2005 the scale of slave trade has been halved thanks to timely measures. However, the problem still persists. In 2010 Belarusian law enforcement agencies have suppressed over 50 stable channels used to export Belarusian citizens abroad.