Police charge 7 with human trafficking, running brothels

Indictments were filed in the Jerusalem District Court on Tuesday against seven people accused of human trafficking and running a prostitution ring.

The indictment said that between April and August 2018, the seven brought women to Israel from Eastern Europe to work as prostitutes in eight brothels around the country.

Among those charged were a couple, Zarina and Vladimir Belov, along with their son Oleg Goldin. They are accused of running a network of brothels out of apartments in Jerusalem, Haifa, and Ashkelon, and of bringing women to Israel.

Prostitution is legal in Israel, but pimping, running brothels, and trafficking are prohibited.

The accused allegedly worked with a contact in Russia and another in Ukraine, who received a weekly payment of $200-250 for each woman they sent to Israel.

The women were met in Israel and sent to one of the brothels, the indictment stated. The prostitutes charged NIS 400 ($110) for each client, and gave half of that to Zarina Belov and another suspect, Maya Aniyev.

Two others were charged with transporting the women to and from the brothels, and one was charged over the day-to-day running of the brothels.

In total, 11 women were brought to Israel by the ring, the indictment said.

The accused were arrested at the end of August, following a months-long investigation in locations around the country.

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Police raided apartments in Jerusalem, Haifa, and Ashkelon that were used as brothels, and found large sums of cash, cellphones, passports, and other documents.

They also raided the home of the Belovs.