A 20-strong police squad raided a second suspected prostitution club in Reykjavik recently. No arrests were made at the VIP Club, but the club has been ordered to stay shut until the police investigation is complete.
According to the newspaper Vísir the club’s proprietors and staff are suspected of running a prostitution racket. An investigative journalist with the Reykjavík Grapevine reported that on a visit to the club he was told he could have anything he desired for ISK20,000 (€ 120).
A police spokesperson said the VIP should have shut up shop on Thursday anyway as its operating license had expired. Hookers’ clubs, or champagne clubs as they are called by Reykjavík residents, have hit the headlines in the past few months.
An undercover surveillance operation conducted by Vísir in the summer pinpointed several locations in the capital city which were thought to be involved with prostitution or human trafficking. In response, police teams in the city mounted their own investigation and placed the VIP and another champagne club, Strawberries, under surveillance.
Police raided Strawberries on 26 October and arrested eight people on the premises. Three of the arrestees were accused of paying for sex and the other five for procurement.
Seven of the arrested people have since been released, but police are still holding the owner. The owners of both clubs both say they have done nothing wrong, even though prostitution is against Icelandic law.