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Police have successfully applied for an enhanced sentence under the Organized and Serious Crime Ordinance (OSCO), resulting in a 34-year-old vice establishment operator sentenced to three year and eight months imprisonment at the District Court today (October 8).
The court heard that officers from Regional Crime Unit, Kowloon West had conducted two undercover operations to investigate a medium size vice syndicate headed by a 34-year-old man in Mong Kok area since June 2004.
The officers successfully infiltrated into the syndicate as keepers and posed as customers to collect evidences.
The operation turned overt in February this year and 14 syndicate members, aged between 24 and 47, were arrested.
All the arrested persons were charged with various offences, including conspiracy to keeping a vice establishment, money laundering, and assisting to keeping a vice establishment subsequently.
As the mastermind of the syndicate, the 34-year-old man was convicted of four counts of conspiracy to keeping a vice establishment and one count of dealing with property known or believed to represent proceeds of indictable offence (money laundering).
Police have successfully applied for enhanced sentence by one third under section 27 of OSCO against the 34-year-old defendant in relation to the four counts of conspiracy to keeping a vice establishments charges.
The total sentence levied on the 34-year-old defendant was three years and eight months imprisonment. Police have also successfully restrained 1.6 millions of assets from the defendant.
The remaining 13 defendants were convicted and sentenced ranging from 180 hours of Community Service Order to ten months imprisonment.
Police Report No.3
Issued by PPRB
Ends/Saturday, October 8, 2005
Issued at HKT 16:24
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