Man jailed six years for trafficking Chinese women for prostitution at massage parlours

A 63-year-old Chinese national has been jailed for six years after a court found him guilty of trafficking three Chinese women and exploiting them in prostitution under the guise of massage services.

De Quan Feng, who resided in St Paul’s Bay, was convicted of human trafficking, running brothels and using premises for prostitution. However, he was acquitted of living off the earnings of prostitution, after the victims testified that they were allowed to keep the money they earned from massages.

The case dates back to July 2014, when police raided massage parlours in Santa Venera and Paola following reports that one of the outlets, Golden Fingers, was being used as a brothel. Feng was found to own that establishment, as well as two other parlours in Paola and Rabat.

During the raids, police found three Chinese women who said they had been brought to Malta by Feng and ordered to provide erotic massages. Investigators also spoke to several clients, many of whom confirmed receiving sexual services.

In court, the women recounted how Feng threatened them, warning that unless they agreed to perform erotic massages, he would withhold help in finding other work and retain their work permits.

The court described human trafficking as a “very serious crime,” stressing that it was unacceptable for anyone to profit from the exploitation of others. “The three women came to Malta seeking a better life,” the court observed, “but their hope was shattered; they ended up as slaves, working long hours and against their will.”

Feng was sentenced to six years in prison and ordered to pay €7,767 in expert fees. The court also ordered that the licences of the three massage parlours be revoked and issued a three-year restraining order for the protection of the victims.

Police inspectors Sylvana Gafa and Joseph Busuttil prosecuted.

Magistrate Kevan Azzopardi presided over the case.