Several suspects arrested during raids in two hotels in Chouf, south of Beirut, in a prostitution case. (Photo taken from the ISF website)
The Lebanese Internal Security Forces (ISF) announced Tuesday that they arrested 18 people during raids on two hotels in Jadra, in the Chouf, south of Beirut, aimed at dismantling an alleged prostitution and human trafficking network led by a suspect identified by the pseudonym “Um Ali.”
The office for combating human trafficking and promoting public morals had launched an investigation after receiving information from the Saadiyat police station, located on the Chouf coast, reporting activities “contrary to public morals” in the two establishments, according to an ISF statement. The searches carried out on site led to the arrest of 18 suspects, including the owners of one of the two establishments, alleged clients, and women of Lebanese, Palestinian, Syrian, and Jordanian nationalities. According to the statement, four women were reportedly caught in the act of prostitution with clients. Law enforcement also seized cell phones, cash, three Syrian identification cards, and a digital video camera connected to the hotels' surveillance systems.
During interrogations, the women admitted to engaging in prostitution in the hotels, according to police. The owners of one of the establishments and a receptionist confessed to being aware of the activities and to having rented rooms for that purpose. The women also reportedly stated that the network was run by a woman identified by the initials L.D., known as “Um Ali.” It was not immediately clear whether this suspect was among those arrested. Those apprehended were also subjected to drug tests, of which eight tested positive.
According to the statement, both hotels have been sealed, seven reports were filed against several women who had entered Lebanon illegally, and five arrest warrants were issued for suspects still at large.
