Australian nabbed in raid of ‘sex joints’ in Angeles City

An Australian national was arrested by authorities on Tuesday night for allegedly managing a night club used as a sex joint in Angeles City in Pampanga, police said Wednesday. Australian Terrence James Smith was nabbed after a female sex worker at Sunshine Bar in Angeles City positively identified him as the place’s floor manager, PNP-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) director Chief Superintendent Samuel Pagdilao Jr. said. Elements of the PNP-CIDG and the Department of Justice’s Inter-Agency Council against Trafficking conducted the raid in an effort to curb human trafficking in the area. Two other reported sex joints allegedly owned by Irish fugitive Richard Douglas Agnew were also raided last night, but authorities failed to arrest the owner since he "was not present during the conduct of the inter-agency raid." Pagdilao, however, added that about 100 female sex workers were rescued during the successive raids of the three night clubs. The CIDG chief said the raid in Angeles City’s red light district proves the country’s commitment to fight human trafficking. The United States on Tuesday removed the Philippines from its Tier 2 human trafficking watch list for having several convictions of human traffickers in the past year. — with Andreo Calonzo/RSJ, GMA News