Dubai sex-trade ring boss held by police after BBC investigation

Charles Mwesigwa led a degrading network exploiting vulnerable women in glamorous parts of Dubai.

Watch LiveBritish Broadcasting CorporationHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC InDepthBBC VerifySportBusinessExecutive LoungeTechnology of BusinessFuture of BusinessInnovationTechnologyScience & HealthArtificial IntelligenceAI v the MindCultureFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsArtsArts in MotionTravelDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListTo the Ends of The Earth EarthNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingAudioPodcast CategoriesRadioAudio FAQsVideoLiveLive NewsLive SportHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveWeatherNewslettersWatch LiveDubai sex-trade ring boss held by police after BBC investigation23 hours agoShareSaveRunako CelinaBBC Eye InvestigationsShareSaveWatch: Charles Mwesigwa [known locally as Abbey] filmed by an undercover reporter posing as an event organiser sourcing women for high-end parties.Warning: Contains disturbing content and graphic descriptions of sexual acts

The BBC understands the boss of a degrading sex-trade ring that exploited vulnerable women in Dubai's most glamorous neighbourhoods has been detained in the United Arab Emirates.

Charles "Abbey" Mwesigwa, who was identified in a recent BBC investigation as running the network, was filmed telling an undercover reporter he could provide women for a sex party at a starting price of $1,000 (£750).

He also said the women could do "pretty much everything" clients wanted them to and said he was a former London bus driver.

It is not clear what charges - if any - Mwesigwa is facing in the UAE and the country's authorities have not yet made a public announcement about the case.