US prosecutors say they have shut down an international sex trafficking ring.美国检察机关近日表示，他们已经破获了一个国际性的人口贩卖集团。Twelve Thai nationals and five Americans were charged with illegally transporting hundreds of women from Thailand. Their victims were forced to work as prostitutes across the US.12名泰国人和5名美国人被指控非法将上百名泰国女性贩卖到美国。而这些受害者被迫在美国从事卖淫活动。A US lawyer said the ring promised poor women a bright future, then "forced them to live a nightmare".一名美国律师表示，该犯罪团伙承诺这些穷苦的女性到了美国会前途一片光明，而事实上却被迫生活在恶梦里。The women were driven into prostitution in Chicago, Los Angeles, Washington DC, and other cities, to pay off "bondage debts" of between $40,000 and $60,000.这些女性被带到美国的芝加哥、洛杉矶、华盛顿和其他城市从事性工作，以偿还4万到6万美元不等的“奴役债务”。"The 17 people charged in this indictment ran a highly sophisticated sex trafficking scheme," US lawyer Andrew Luger, of the district of Minnesota, said in a statement.明尼苏达州的律师安德鲁·鲁格在一份声明中表示：“这17个涉案人员开展了一个非常复杂的人口贩卖计划。”"They promised women in Thailand a chance at the American dream, but instead exploited them, coerced them and forced them to live a nightmare. In short, the victims lived like modern day sex slaves."“他们承诺为这些泰国女性实现美国梦，而事实上他们榨取、胁迫她们，迫使他们生活在恶梦里。简而言之，这些受害人就好像是当代的性奴。”

Brought into the US on fraudulent visas, the trafficking victims were made to work long hours to repay the criminal gang.通过伪造签证被带到美国后，这些非法贩运的受害人被迫长时间工作以支付债务。They were encouraged to have breast implants in a bid to make them more appealing to potential clients, and the cost of the surgery was added to their debt.她们还被要求做隆胸手术，以使自己对潜在客户更有魅力，而手术的费用则会被加进她们的债务中。As soon as they arrived on US soil the women were trapped in massage parlours, hotels and apartments and ordered to sell sex. They were not allowed to leave without escorts, who also had sex with the victims as part of their payment.一旦抵达美国，这些妇女就会被困在按摩院、酒店和公寓等各种“色情场所”接待客人。如果没有嫖客的陪同，她们不能离开这些场所。Alex Khu, a special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Minneapolis, said the gang threatened to harm the women's families if they tried to escape.在明尼阿波里斯负责国土安全部调查活动的特工亚历山大.许表示，这一团伙会威胁她们在泰国的家人，防止妇女逃跑。In one case, the group sent thugs to assault a victim's relative in Thailand, breaking his bones.有一次，有一位妇女试图逃跑，结果，这个团伙就派人把她的一名家人打伤，打断了她家人的骨头。