Botswana police smashes a human trafficking ring suspected of smuggling into Canada some 1,000 people for servitude and sexual exploitation.

Fourteen people have so far been taken into custody for questioning in Gaborone, Botswana police chief, Assistant Superintendent, Selebatso Mokgosi told Press TV Sunday.

“Eight business consultants and six other suspects believed to be part of the trafficking of 1,000 Botswana nationals are already in police custody and will appear in court this week,” said Mokgosi, who has been working with the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) on the case.

The Botswana police chief said that foreign traffickers targeted vulnerable young women and girls, who could be susceptible to force and deception, using business consultancy offices as a front for their operations.

“Police have discovered that a number of illegally and legal registered business consultancies run by foreigners … that are a front for international human traffickers who often lure victims into phony moneymaking opportunities, then hold them in slavery-like conditions in Canada,” Mokgosi asserted.

Ministry of Trade and Commerce spokesperson John Macheng said that the country's government had ordered the temporary closure of all business consultancies following the recent discovery.

“As the ministry, we were very concerned about the way in which business service providers operate and with immediate effect all business consultancies owned by foreigners have been closed by the government and they will need to re-apply [for a permit] to the government,” said Macheng.

ZHD/HGH