After escaping the shackles of a sex ringleader who forced them to do “pretty much anything” for $1,000 a night, young women lured to Dubai with promises of new opportunities say they were instead trapped in a world of abuse, exploitation, and control – hidden behind the city’s glittering façade.
A shocking BBC investigation has exposed a man accused of running a high-end sex ring in Dubai’s most glamorous districts, where vulnerable women were allegedly exploited and sold to wealthy clients.
The alleged boss, Charles Mwesigwa – who claims he once worked as a London bus driver – was caught on hidden camera telling an undercover reporter he could supply women for sex parties starting at $1,000 a night, boasting that many were willing to do “pretty much everything” clients desired.
Ringleader
Mwesigwa, also known as Abbey, is accused of operating his illicit business from Jumeirah Village Circle, one of Dubai’s most glamorous neighborhoods.
In the secretly recorded footage, he was heard bragging about the “crazy stuff” the women in his network would do for a minimum of $1,000, referencing the infamous so-called “porta potty parties” – a term used to describe degrading acts involving human waste.
“We have got like 25 girls. Many are open-minded,” he said with a laugh. “Many can do pretty much everything.
“The more crazy stuff they do, it’s up to you…If you want girl-on-girl, if you want a foursome, if you want anal, they’re going to ask for more money. I’ve told you; they are open-minded. When I say open-minded…I will send you the craziest I have.”
In the same recording, Mwesigwa flicked through photos of women, stopping on one image to tell the reporter: “You will really, really, really, really enjoy her. This one.”
Denied accusations
Despite being caught on camera, Mwesigwa denies running a prostitution ring. Speaking to the BBC, he insisted he simply “helps” women who are trying to start new lives in Dubai.
“These are all false allegations,” he said. “I am just a party person who invites big spenders on my tables, hence making many girls flock [to] my table. That makes me know many girls, and that’s it.”
He further claimed that he assists women with finding accommodation through landlords and denied exploiting anyone.
But his former associate, known as Troy, paints a very different picture.
‘Selling humans for money’
Troy, who once worked as Mwesigwa’s “operations manager,” told the BBC that his ex-boss was not helping women but profiting from their desperation.
“He is selling humans for money,” Troy alleged. “If the girls said, ‘I’m not ready to provide sex,’ he would keep them inside the room until they agreed. Their only option was to be with Abbey.”
According to Troy, the network preyed on vulnerable women by promising them legitimate employment in Dubai, such as jobs in supermarkets or hotels. Once the women arrived, those promises evaporated.
“I’ve heard about types of sex that I’ve never seen in my life,” Troy added. “It doesn’t matter what you go through as long as his rich men are happy. [The women] have no escape route. They see musicians, they see footballers, they see presidents.”
Troy says he eventually broke away from the operation after Mwesigwa discovered he was secretly trying to help women find legal employment.
Victims speak out
Women who say they were exploited by the alleged network have confirmed they were deceived – many believing they were being recruited for legitimate work.
One, who goes by the pseudonym Mia, claimed she was forced into sex work and told she couldn’t leave as she owed Mwesigwa money.
“He [Mr Mwesigwa] was violent when I told him I wanted to go back home,” Mia said. Recalling his words, she added: “[You owe me] money for air tickets, for your visa, for where you’re sleeping, food. That means you have to work hard, hard, hard, pleading for men to come and sleep [with] you.”
Mia and other alleged victims said they were trapped with no way out, coerced into degrading acts to satisfy clients with extreme demands.
“If the girls said ‘I’m not ready to provide sex’, he would keep them inside the room until they agreed. Their only option was to be with Abbey,” Troy told the BBC.
Extreme fetishes
According to some survivors, they were forced to serve Mwesigwa’s clients, mostly “wealthy white European men” with extreme fetishes.
“There’s this one client, he poops on girls. He poops and he tells them to eat it,” said Mia.
Another woman, who the BBC is calling Lexi, claimed she was deceived by a different network but faced similar abuse. She said “porta potty” requests were disturbingly common.
Lexi recalled one horrifying offer: “There was a client who said: ‘We pay you ($4,084) to gang-rape you, pee in your face, beat you, and add ($1,361) if you are filmed eating faeces.’”
Alleged deaths
The investigation also uncovered that two women connected to Mwesigwa’s network died after plunging from high-rise apartments in Dubai.
In May 2022, Monic Karungi, whose sister said she thought she’d be working at the supermarket but instead imprisoned by Mwesigwa, died after falling from a high-rise apartment balcony.
She allegedly owed Mwesigwa more than $27,000.
“[Monic’s] not the first to die. And she won’t be the last,” another one of Monic’s relatives told the BBC.
While authorities ruled the deaths as suicides, friends and relatives insist the cases were never properly investigated and believe more should have been done to uncover the truth.
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