33 pimps jailed in nation's biggest prostitution case

33 pimps, part of the biggest prostitution ring uncovered in China, were jailed in Beijing yesterday.

They were convicted at Fengtai District People's Court of soliciting customers around high-end hotels, offering a door-to-door service and drawing commission from prostitutes.

The pimps received jail terms ranging from eight months to three years.

The other 38 members of the ring - including drivers and the two ringleaders - will be sentenced later, the Legal Evening News reported.

The newspaper said this was the biggest prostitution case uncovered in China.

The ringleaders, from northeastern Liaoning Province, were accused of recruiting 12 prostitutes - including foreigners and teenagers - and 71 helpers in various roles between 2007 and 2010.

The 43-year-old husband surnamed Cui, and his 28-year-old wife, surnamed Du, ran the ring like an agency.

They handpicked prostitutes, charged 1,000 yuan (US$158.3) in "management fees" and arranged their hours, the paper said.

The pimps, most from rural areas in central Hubei Province, distributed cards with prostitutes' details to guests around hotels.

Pimps told the court they were lured into the trade by a daily income of 50 yuan plus commission.

A call girl could make between 500 yuan and 2,000 yuan from a client, 20 percent of which went to her pimp.

"It was easy money. I just distributed cards and made some phone calls, pimp Chen Haijun told the newspaper.

The ring was busted in June at an Internet cafe in Beijing, with tens of thousands yuan and 11 boxes of prostitutes' cards confiscated.