Brit is arrested in ‘human trafficking’ raid at ‘Flirt’ bar in seedy Thai resort of Pattaya

A British national and a Thai woman have been arrested on suspicion of human trafficking in Thailand’s seedy ‘Sin City’ resort of Pattaya.

Cops raided the ‘Flirt’ bar on the area’s notorious Soi 6 road – packed with dozens of sex bars – next to the beach at around 9pm on April 5.

Footage from the raid shows dozens of young women being frogmarched into a police truck and taken to the local station to be questioned.

Englishman William Reece and local woman Jaranya Deeppair, 31, were detained by police chiefs. The Brit was seen being led into the police station in what appeared to be handcuffs.

Officers said that arrest warrants had been issued against the British man on April 4 for allegedly conspiring to commit human trafficking.

Cops raided the ‘Flirt’ bar on the area’s notorious Soi 6 road – packed with dozens of sex bars – next to the beach at around 9pm on April 5. Pictured: Police officers are seen at the bar

The charges relate to young women being ferried from poverty-stricken regions in the rural northeast of the country to serve tourists in the sex industry, where they are paid around 1,500 Baht (35 GBP) for sex.

Police Colonel Thanapong Phothi, superintendent of the Pattaya City Police Station, said: ‘We made the arrest to build confidence in Pattaya’s image among tourists. We have invited the store’s employees to give their statements at the station.’

The accused were remanded in police custody as they await further legal proceedings.

Cops said they raided the shop but did not find any illegal substances. 

The employees inside were also all above 18-years-old, the legal age for working as prostitutes in the country.

The bar is believed to be owned by ‘Nightwish Group’, which is believed to be run by a British ex-pat.

A website connected to the group says it was founded in 2012 with a single bar, and has since grown into a company that employs over 500 people, with 27 bars. 

A spokesperson for Nightwish Group told MailOnline: ‘We often see these kinds of raids taking place in Thailand, and we are pleased to work with the local police.’

‘The police have confirmed that no illegal substances were found in our bar, and that no person was under 18 – we maintain high standards.

‘We believe that the raid took place following the inaccurate testimony of just one individual, who had been paid to make a false statement, and we do not expect anything to come of the charges,’ the group added.

‘Nightwish takes our responsibilities seriously, and cares deeply about the welfare of all our staff. We would never be involved in harmful practices.’

Military top brass from Bangkok have been trying for several years to clean up Pattaya, dubbed the ‘sex capital’ of the world.

Pictured: A young women holds up a line of shots in a picture on the bar’s Instagram page

Pictured: Police officers are seen searching the bar during the raid on April 5

Footage from the raid shows dozens of young women being frogmarched into a police truck and taken to the local station to be questioned. Pictured: A police officer speaks to women inside the bar as it is raided on April 5

They are battling to kick out badly behaving Brits and Aussies, and turn the region into a family-friendly resort to tap into lucrative family markets in China, India and Russia.

However, they face an uphill struggle against its entrenched 24-hour sex industry and endemic corruption that allows it to continue unabated. 

The bars – many of which are run by British ex-pats and function as shop windows for prostitutes – along with massage parlours and street workers are also a lucrative part of the tourism industry.

Before the pandemic, the industry accounted for 21 percent of Thailand’s annual GDP, generating 1.8 trillion baht (52.3 billion USD) in revenue.