German prosecutors target huge Cologne brothel in trafficking probe

German prosecutors on Wednesday targeted a major brothel in the western city of Cologne as part of their probe into a suspected ring of human traffickers.

"This is a provisional security measure in the investigation proceedings," a spokesman for the prosecutors based in Dusseldorf said.

Pascha, one of Europe's largest brothels, is to be permitted to continue operations, but the authorities' move means that "no asset transfer can occur" for a month, the spokesman said.

Prosecutors have for months been investigating a human trafficking ring that is alleged to have provided German residence permits for wealthy people from China and Oman on a large scale.

In April, police raided homes in eight German states as part of the investigation. Two lawyers from the Cologne area are believed to be behind the ring, and investigators suspect that officials may have been bribed.

The 11-storey Pascha was declared insolvent in 2021. According to media reports, a Chinese woman is thought to have been behind a subsequent purchase.