The operation led to the arrest of 18 individuals, including eight Macau residents, and the apprehension of 58 sex workers and 44 clients, marking one of the largest cross-jurisdictional crackdowns of its kind. The Macau Judiciary Police began anti-vice patrols in the NAPE and Central districts in May this year, uncovering 10 mainland Chinese sex workers and six local clients in several hotels.
Further investigation revealed that all were connected through the same online prostitution platform, which published 30 to 40 solicitations daily. The site was operated by three administrators who used cryptocurrency transactions to conceal money flows.
After notifying law enforcement agencies in mainland China and Hong Kong, the three jurisdictions launched a simultaneous operation at 7 a.m. on October 13th. In Macau, police arrested seven local residents and one Vietnamese worker, including the ring’s mastermind, core members, and lower-level agents. A flat in the NAPE area used as a storage site was raided, where police seized over 10,000 condoms, more than 300 bottles of lubricants and massage oils, towels, bedsheets, mobile phones, computers, and several vehicles.
Mainland authorities detained seven individuals, including one Macau resident and several key figures, along with 24 sex workers and 42 clients, seizing over 40 mobile phones and computers. In Hong Kong, police arrested three local residents, also believed to be syndicate members, and 25 sex workers, confiscating condoms, lubricants, cash, bank cards, and mobile phones.
Investigations found that the website had been operating since January 2025, posting more than 2,500 prostitution advertisements. Each posting cost RMB300, generating an estimated RMB750,000 (MOP841,000) in illicit profits for the syndicate.
