Brothel ring (Illustration)
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'Jezreel Valley madame' arrested
Police arrest woman suspected of running Afula brothels; booming business causes complaints, police raid over weekend
A woman in her 50s was arrested over the weekend for allegedly running a prostitution ring in Afula, Yedioth Ahronoth reported Sunday.
The woman, nicknamed "Jezreel Valley madame," has has been convicted several times but never jailed, and allegedly kept operating her business, lately even expanding it.
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The woman is suspected of renting three Afula apartments and using them as brothels, each apartment housing several prostitutes, with a man stationed outside to watch out for the police and alert those inside in case of a raid.
Police say the brothels were so successful, clients came not only from Afula, but from the entire Jezreel Valley area.
"The suspect was operating over the last three months out of three apartments. She published ads in the local papers around the area, and clients came at all hours of the day," said the Afula police chief.
The booming business proved a double-edged sword, when the increased noise and traffic caused neighbors to file a complaint with the police, which promptly raided the brothels and arrested the "madame" and several alleged prostitutes.
Some of the apartment owners had no idea what their property was used for: "After the apartment was rented out we received complaints from neighbors about a massive flow of people," said one apartment owner's grandson.
"I came right away, and when I saw the building I was petrified. At the entrance a security guard blocked my entry."
The alleged madame failed to convince police that the brothels are massage parlors, and they have motioned for her remand, and intend to file an indictment.
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