Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1526203
2 NEWS maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 4 SEPTEMBER 2024 2 MATTHEW AGIUS magius@mediatoday.com.mt OVER 2,000 men had visited a flat in Msida that was being used as a brothel, between March and June this year, a court was told today, as the compilation of evi- dence against seven Maltese men and a Romanian man and wom- an, accused of human trafficking continued. Inspector John Spiteri from the police Vice Squad continued his testimony, telling Magistrate Donatella Frendo Dimech how a further 200 clients had attended another brothel in Gżira between July 30 and August 12. Luke Farrugia (36), Clint D'Am- ato (36), Denzil Farrugia (19), Alexandra Suhov Procora (32), Nicolae Efimov (37), Kane Vas- sallo (22), Luca Emanuele Cori- to (21), Dylan McKay (30), and Gordon Cassar (44), are accused of money laundering, promoting or setting up a criminal organ- isation, forcing individuals into prostitution, holding persons as bonded debtors, and knowingly living off the earnings of prosti- tution. Some of them are also charged with human trafficking for ex- ploitation, assisting in traffick- ing, and running a brothel. Luke Farrugia and Dylan McKay are further charged with using ser- vices from trafficked individuals, with McKay facing further charg- es related to committing crimes during a suspended sentence and recidivism. D'Amato is also ac- cused of possessing cocaine with intent for distribution. Cross-examined on the stand today, inspector Spiteri con- firmed that McKay would regu- larly visit one of the sex workers as a paying client. August 12, targeting multiple locations across Malta, including properties in Birkirkara, Gżira, St. Paul's Bay, Siġġiewi, Fgura, Gudja, Raħal Ġdid, Ħaż-Żebbuġ, and Isla. The police operations were a result of ongoing inves- tigations into human trafficking and prostitution rings operating within the country. Spiteri told the court that the women found in the various properties across Malta had all given the police the same ac- count of how they ended up in Malta. They claimed to have met a woman who encouraged them to come to Malta, and work as escorts. The work was described as keeping men company, dur- ing social events or meals, and they had been told that it would be up to them to decide whether they wanted to provide addition- al paid services of a sexual nature to those men. That same woman had given her mobile phone number to the victims and instructed them to save it as a contact under the name 'Ghost'. Investigators not- ed that Farrugia himself had giv- en that contact number to the police with respect to previous cases. WhatsApp chats between Kane Vassallo and Luke Farrugia were also found on the device, he said. Farrugia would use the pseu- donym 'Thiago', he said, adding that the police had found con- versations between the trafficked women and 'Thiago' informing him how many clients they had seen and how much money they had made in a night. Inspector Spiteri told the court that Dylan Mckay had organised a promotional photoshoot at a hotel, in St. Julians. The police had questioned the photographer in question, who informed them that McKay had engaged him to take a set of photos of the wom- an, which were to be uploaded to a website advertising their servic- es. In one text conversation be- tween one of the victims and Clint D'Amato, the woman had asked D'Amato for guidance about how to handle a client who wanted to have unprotected oral sex. The woman did not want to go along with the request, but in his reply, D'Amato had angrily replied that her job was to "keep the customers happy." The police investigations re- vealed that Luca Corito and Den- zil Farrugia would sometimes take the women to the custom- ers, and that Nicolae Efimov and Alexandra Pocora would keep an eye on live feeds from cameras installed both inside and outside the property. The defence objected when In- spector Spiteri told the court that during her arrest, Pocora had admitted her involvement in the organisation and had indicated Luke Farrugia as the mastermind. The case continues. Trafficked sex workers saw over 2,000 clients in three months, court hears The court heard how the women had all been encouraged by a woman to come to Malta and work as escorts, with the work described as keeping men company, during social events or meals Four of the nine defendants escorted to court for their arraignment on 13 August (Photos: James Bianchi/Mediatoday)