GAY VILLAGE PROSTITUTION RING BUSTED

[Guest Tampa Yankee]

GAY VILLAGE PROSTITUTION RING BUSTED (AP) – More people believed by authorities to be members of a male prostitution ring which advertised in magazines will likely be rounded up this week, Montreal police said.

 

About 30 people are thought to be involved in the ring that often catered to American tourists, said Const. Ian Lafreniere. But he was cautious about releasing more details because the investigation is still under way and involves undercover operators.

 

"We’ve got some pretty good info from the inside," Lafreniere said.

 

Lafrieniere added that police learned about the ring – which he said included male prostitutes as young as 14 – from word on the street.

 

Two elderly Roman Catholic priests from New Jersey were among those picked up before a series of raids in the city’s Gay Village on July 24 that netted six Montrealers, including two alleged ringleaders. The priests were arraigned in Quebec court July 19 on charges of procuring for the purpose of prostitution and soliciting for sexual favors. They are free on $1000 bail and are to face a preliminary hearing on Oct. 2.

 

Policed have declined to discuss any role the priests may have played in the investigation.

 

Lafreniere said it was not immediately clear exactly how any American clients had learned of the ring but it appeared there were articles or advertisements in some publications that discussed the availability and quality of Montreal prostitutes.

 

(Appeared in the Boston weekly publication in newsweekly for the week of August 8- 14)