NYAG announces sex and drug bust at city-wide press conference

New York, NEW YORK - On Wednesday morning, New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman announced multiple arrests regarding a major drug and prostitution ring in New York City. Last night, there was a raid at The Vogue, a Midtown apartment building housing King's students, which included a K9 unit and four women being escorted out of the building. New York Magazine connects the two events here. The "very sophisticated prostitution and drug ring" is one of the major rings of its kind in New York City, Schneiderman said. Though based in the city, the ring "was catering to clientele as far away as Texas."

Officials have arraigned 11 out of 18 targets, Schneiderman said. He drew special attention to the indictment of Hyun Ok Yoon (better known by her alias, "Beige"), who is a major player in the drug and prostitution industry in New York City.

The ring in question "was a money laundering, drug trafficking, and prostitution operation," Schneiderman said.

According to a press release from the Attorney General's office, "the ring is estimated to have generated millions of dollars in illegal proceeds and was working to market its services to a high-end clientele coming to the New York metropolitan area for the Super Bowl."

The investigation was a collaborative effort between the Attorney General's office, the New York Police Department, the New York State police and Homeland Security, according to NYPD Chief Banks.

The press release also thanks the NYPD's Vice Enforcement Major Case and Human Tracking Teams and the Unites States Attorney's Office Southern District for their involvement in the bust.

Officers have confiscated a variety of credit card swipers and have identified over $3 million dollars in credit card charges, which make up a relatively small amount of the ring's income, as most customers pay in cash.

Sanctuary for Families, a leading service provider in New York City for victims of domestic violence and sex trafficking, was on site for the arrests, director of the organization's Anti-Trafficking Initiative Laurie Cohen said.

According to Schneiderman, the prostitutes are being interviewed, and identifying victims of human trafficking is a priority.

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UPDATE: A government official has confirmed that last night's raid at The Vogue is connected to the drug and prostitution ring bust announced by Schneiderman this morning.

Keep following the EST for further updates!