AMURSK, Russia, Jan. 31 (UPI) -- Two residents of Amursk, Russia, suspected of selling young women into sexual slavery, will stand trial, officials say.
Investigators tell ITAR-Tass the suspects recruited and sold 51 young women into slavery abroad. Initially, they were promised jobs as dancers and waitresses, comfortable accomodations and high salaries. They were taken to nightclubs in Israel, Turkey, Greece, Cyprus, South Korea and China. Once abroad, their passports were taken from them and they were forced into prostitution, investigators said.
Suspects were paid about $1,000 for every girl they smuggled abroad.
Russia's Far Eastern Federal District Police, in collaboration with Greek law-enforcement agencies, freed victims in Athens. In a special operation, 10 strip clubs were shut down, more than 180 people arraigned and 19 members of criminal organizations arrested.
