Russian military intelligence officer suspect in sex ring probe

(RIA Novosti) - The main suspect in the sale of more than 130 women as sex slaves is a colonel from Russia's Foreign Intelligence Directorate (GRU), the head of the Military Investigations Service told RIA Novosti on Friday.

Initial investigations into the case were completed in October last year and led to the arrest of 13 individuals from Russia, Moldova and Israel for the sale of the women between 1999 and 2007.

"According to investigations, the head of the international criminal group involved in the sale of women abroad is a colonel from the Ministry of Defense's GRU," the head of the Military Investigation Department at Russia's Investigation Committee, Lt. Gen. Alexander Sorochkin said.

During the investigation, which took more than two years to complete, it was established that the 130 women from Russia, Uzbekistan, Moldova, Ukraine, and Belarus were sold into prostitution and sent to Israel, Italy, Germany, Greece, The Netherlands, and United Arab Emirates.

Sorochkin said that most of the women ended up in Israel and the 200-volume case file is being translated into Hebrew.

All 13 suspects are being charged with human trafficking, organizing a prostitution ring that included minors, forging documents, and organizing illegal migration, among other charges.