QIN HUANG, GUOLEI HUANG AND XIAO MIN SENTENCED IN GLASGOW AND EDINBURGH SEX TRAFFICKING SCANDAL
| Red Rose Database
Glasgow Sexual Abuser Grooming Gang Member
In a significant crackdown on human trafficking networks operating within Scotland, three individuals have been sentenced to lengthy prison terms for their roles in orchestrating and managing sex trafficking operations across Glasgow and Edinburgh. The convicted are Qin Huang, aged 31, Guolei Huang, aged 35, and Xiao Min, aged 38. Their arrests and subsequent convictions stem from a joint investigation conducted by Police Scotland and the Home Office, known as Operation Fasthold, which uncovered a disturbing pattern of exploitation involving women primarily from East Asia.
Between December 2018 and September 2021, these women were trafficked into Scotland and forced to work as prostitutes within flats that had been converted into clandestine brothels. The operation was highly organized, with the traffickers using multiple flats across Glasgow’s Dennistoun, Garnethill, Port Dundas, Townhead, and Kelvinbridge neighborhoods, as well as a location in Edinburgh’s Old Town, to facilitate their illicit activities. Police raids in 2020 and 2021 revealed the extent of the operation, including the arrest of Guolei Huang in a brothel in Liverpool and the discovery of trafficked women in various flats.
During the High Court proceedings in Glasgow, the three men received sentences ranging from four to eight and a half years. Xiao Min was sentenced to eight-and-a-half years after pleading guilty to charges under the Human Trafficking and Exploitation Act, which included aiding and abetting prostitution. Qin Huang received an eight-year sentence, also after admitting guilt, and Guolei Huang was sentenced to four years and three months, having previously pleaded guilty to managing three of the flats used as brothels.
Judge Lady Poole emphasized the gravity of their crimes, stating that they had played “an important and significant role in the operation of the criminal network operating in Scotland.” She condemned the act of maintaining brothels and trafficking women as a “deliberate degrading of fellow human beings,” highlighting the dehumanizing nature of prostitution and its impact on victims. The judge pointed out that women involved in such activities are often stripped of their autonomy and are valued merely as sources of profit.
Details emerged during the trial about the backgrounds of the traffickers. Xiao Min had entered the UK illegally and was residing in South London before his arrest. His defense lawyer, Thomas Ross KC, explained that Min’s involvement was driven by falling into debt. Qin Huang, who came to the UK on a student visa and was a failed asylum seeker, was living on benefits of just £140 per week while owing money in China. The court was told that she believed the women working in the brothels had “consented” to their roles, though her lawyer, Mark Moir KC, acknowledged she understood the seriousness of her charges.
Guolei Huang arrived in the UK in 2018 and was apprehended in a brothel in Liverpool. His defense, represented by Iain McSporran KC, suggested that he did not view the women as victims but as individuals working “voluntarily,” and claimed he was unaware of the involvement of the other two defendants.
Investigations revealed that the traffickers profited significantly from their operations. Police uncovered that the gang had spent approximately £200,000 on online advertisements through an adult site, managed by a so-called “business agency,” although there was no evidence linking the defendants directly to the advertising expenses. Prosecutor Greg Farrell stated that the network was sophisticated, involving the recruitment, transportation, and exploitation of women, with some trafficked women being brought from China due to debts, recruitment in casinos, or recommendations after working illegally in England. One woman’s passport was confiscated to prevent her from leaving, and she was helped to establish herself as a prostitute.
Police Scotland’s Detective Inspector Mark Dines condemned human trafficking as a “despicable crime” with long-lasting and devastating effects on victims. He reaffirmed the commitment of law enforcement to work alongside partners to dismantle such criminal networks, identify those responsible, and safeguard vulnerable individuals from exploitation. Prosecutors have also sought Serious Crime Prevention Orders against all three men, aiming to monitor and restrict their activities following their release from prison.
Between December 2018 and September 2021, these women were trafficked into Scotland and forced to work as prostitutes within flats that had been converted into clandestine brothels. The operation was highly organized, with the traffickers using multiple flats across Glasgow’s Dennistoun, Garnethill, Port Dundas, Townhead, and Kelvinbridge neighborhoods, as well as a location in Edinburgh’s Old Town, to facilitate their illicit activities. Police raids in 2020 and 2021 revealed the extent of the operation, including the arrest of Guolei Huang in a brothel in Liverpool and the discovery of trafficked women in various flats.
During the High Court proceedings in Glasgow, the three men received sentences ranging from four to eight and a half years. Xiao Min was sentenced to eight-and-a-half years after pleading guilty to charges under the Human Trafficking and Exploitation Act, which included aiding and abetting prostitution. Qin Huang received an eight-year sentence, also after admitting guilt, and Guolei Huang was sentenced to four years and three months, having previously pleaded guilty to managing three of the flats used as brothels.
Judge Lady Poole emphasized the gravity of their crimes, stating that they had played “an important and significant role in the operation of the criminal network operating in Scotland.” She condemned the act of maintaining brothels and trafficking women as a “deliberate degrading of fellow human beings,” highlighting the dehumanizing nature of prostitution and its impact on victims. The judge pointed out that women involved in such activities are often stripped of their autonomy and are valued merely as sources of profit.
Details emerged during the trial about the backgrounds of the traffickers. Xiao Min had entered the UK illegally and was residing in South London before his arrest. His defense lawyer, Thomas Ross KC, explained that Min’s involvement was driven by falling into debt. Qin Huang, who came to the UK on a student visa and was a failed asylum seeker, was living on benefits of just £140 per week while owing money in China. The court was told that she believed the women working in the brothels had “consented” to their roles, though her lawyer, Mark Moir KC, acknowledged she understood the seriousness of her charges.
Guolei Huang arrived in the UK in 2018 and was apprehended in a brothel in Liverpool. His defense, represented by Iain McSporran KC, suggested that he did not view the women as victims but as individuals working “voluntarily,” and claimed he was unaware of the involvement of the other two defendants.
Investigations revealed that the traffickers profited significantly from their operations. Police uncovered that the gang had spent approximately £200,000 on online advertisements through an adult site, managed by a so-called “business agency,” although there was no evidence linking the defendants directly to the advertising expenses. Prosecutor Greg Farrell stated that the network was sophisticated, involving the recruitment, transportation, and exploitation of women, with some trafficked women being brought from China due to debts, recruitment in casinos, or recommendations after working illegally in England. One woman’s passport was confiscated to prevent her from leaving, and she was helped to establish herself as a prostitute.
Police Scotland’s Detective Inspector Mark Dines condemned human trafficking as a “despicable crime” with long-lasting and devastating effects on victims. He reaffirmed the commitment of law enforcement to work alongside partners to dismantle such criminal networks, identify those responsible, and safeguard vulnerable individuals from exploitation. Prosecutors have also sought Serious Crime Prevention Orders against all three men, aiming to monitor and restrict their activities following their release from prison.