Johannesburg – The National Head of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks), Lieutenant General Mthandazo Berning Ntlemeza, on Tuesday welcomed the conviction and sentencing of a Nigerian national who received 20 years direct imprisonment after being found guilty on five counts related to human trafficking.
Ugochukwu Eke was sentenced at the South Johannesburg High Court on Monday for the crimes he committed in Rosettenville, where he resided in 2015.
He was arrested in August on allegations that he was running a brothel and kept young girls against their will for sexual exploitation and forced them to take drugs.
One of the victims, a 15-year-old girl, managed to escape and reported the matter.
Eke was found guilty on charges of sexual exploitation of a child, living from the earnings of sexual exploitation, prevention and combating of trafficking in persons, and accomplice to rape.
Ntlemeza applauded the officers who had worked around the clock on the investigation.
"We have prioritised human trafficking as a national priority and we are going to leave any stone unturned to find those who continue to exploit innocent people in this country.
"We also want to call upon those who have any information about this disturbing trend to report to us directly or their nearest police stations. Well done to the team, the NPA and everyone involved for cementing the nation trust that crime does not pay," said Ntlemeza.
African News Agency