Three people arrested in police raids over brothel keeping

Police officers raided seven properties in Edinburgh and one in East Lothian

Three people have been arrested following a series of police raids involving brothel keeping in Edinburgh and East Lothian.

Two women aged 70 and 37 and a 46-year-old man were detained after nine properties were raided as part of Operation Cobsnap.

Police say six women and a man, all foreign nationals, are being given welfare and safety support.

Thousands of pounds in cash was confiscated as well as a quantity of cocaine and cannabis.

DCI Jonny Wright said the raids had been a success in terms of enforcement

DCI Jonny Wright, of Police Scotland, said the raids had been successful.

"We've arrested three individuals this morning, two in relation to brothel keeping and one in relation to being concerned in the supply of controlled drugs," he said.

"We've managed to safeguard seven people this morning working with victim navigators and partners to make sure those people feel truly supported."

DCI Wright described the operation as "a complex investigation".

He added: "People shouldn't be exploited and shouldn't be coerced to behave in a way they don't wish to do and it's about us disrupting that particular behaviour."

Sixty officers from across Scotland took part in the raids.

Brazilian and Thai nationals - six women and a man - have been offered welfare and safety support.

Maya Linstrum-Newman, of Global Alliance Against Traffic in Women, said: ''Because sex work is criminalised, either the clients and third parties are criminalised or the workers themselves are.

"This pushes sex work underground it makes it much harder for sex workers to report abuse and exploitation that they may encounter and it makes it much harder for victims of trafficking to access support and access help.''