A Sydney man has been charged with trafficking a child from Indonesia to allegedly “engage in sex work”, the Australian federal police say.
The AFP said in a statement on Tuesday that they removed seven potential victims from sexual exploitation in Australia, following the investigation that resulted in Surya Subekti, a 43-year-old from the southern suburb of Arncliffe, being charged.
Subekti was charged with one count of trafficking in children, an offence which carries a maximum penalty of 25 years’ imprisonment.
He faced Downing Centre local court on Tuesday where he was granted bail under the condition he not go within 500 metres of a brothel or access the internet.
The AFP alleged he facilitated the transportation of a 17-year-old from Indonesia to Sydney to “engage in sex work”.
“The AFP will allege the man is the principal of an organised crime syndicate that profited from human trafficking and worked with an Indonesian-based recruiter to find victims to send to Australia,” the AFP said in a statement.
Subekti was arrested at his home on 10 July after a 20-month investigation by the AFP, Department of Home Affairs and Indonesian National Police (INP), called Operation Mirani.
The investigation started in December 2022 after the AFP received intelligence that foreign nationals were arriving in Australia and forced into sexual servitude, in breach of their visa conditions.
Subekti was allegedly the “on-shore facilitator for multiple women who had arrived in Australia and subsequently engaged in sex work”, the AFP said.
The AFP assisted the INP to identify a woman in Jakarta who was allegedly helping to recruit the women to travel to Australia.
In March 2024, the AFP searched properties in the Sydney suburbs of Arncliffe and Banksia, and found foreign nationals who were assessed as “potential victims of human trafficking”.
The AFP also seized travel documents, identity material and electronic devices, which were subject to further forensic examination.
When Indonesian police searched the home of the Jakarta woman suspected of being a recruiter for the criminal group, they allegedly found multiple passports of other women who had already been recruited and were due to travel to Australia.
“If these women had arrived in Australia, they would have been at risk of exploitation,” the AFP said.
“The INP subsequently arrested and charged the Jakarta woman with human trafficking offences.”
In May 2024, the AFP and ABF searched three brothels across Sydney, and found a further nine women alleged to have been engaged in sex work in violation of their visa conditions.
A review of the seized materials identified another six women overseas who were scheduled to be entry trafficked into Australia for potential servitude, the AFP said.
About 20 brothels across Sydney and the NSW Central Coast are believed to be linked to the syndicate’s activities, which police allege involves multiple victims.
The AFP said evidence obtained during the search warrants allegedly linked a Sydney woman, 35, to the criminal enterprise.
It will be alleged she fraudulently enrolled students at an education provider in Sydney to prolong the victims’ stay in Australia, during which time they were further exploited to work in the sex industry instead of attending their enrolled courses.
The woman’s visa was cancelled last month and she was detained and conveyed to Villawood detention centre as an unlawful non-citizen.
AFP commander Kate Ferry said the investigation was ongoing and further charges were being considered.
“The AFP is committed to protecting vulnerable people from the tentacles of organised crime, and this challenging 20-month investigation is testament to the resolve of our people,” she said.
“Human trafficking investigators work tirelessly to help victims struggling through atrocious situations and to ensure they are removed from harmful situations, and their alleged abusers face the full extent of the law in Australia.
“We understand it can be incredibly difficult for vulnerable victims to come forward, and we want to assure them that there is help and protection available.”
Australian Associated Press contributed to this report
