A former bus driver from London has been taken into custody for allegedly orchestrating a disturbing sex trafficking operation where vulnerable young women were coerced into performing degrading acts for wealthy clients in Dubai’s most affluent areas.

Charles ‘Abbey’ Mwesigwa was filmed by an undercover reporter claiming women under his control would do ‘pretty much everything’ clients asked.

Currently, he is being held in the United Arab Emirates, although the specific charges against him remain unclear since the local authorities have not publicly disclosed details of the case.

However, a Dubai law firm told the BBC they had received confirmation that Mwesigwa was in custody at the Central Prison Centre in Al Awir, Dubai. 

According to a law firm, a red notice—which is a request distributed to law enforcement globally to arrest someone pending extradition—has been issued by Interpol Uganda for the former bus driver.

A recent investigation conducted by BBC Eye and the World of Secrets podcast featured interviews with women who reported being enticed to the UAE under the pretense of legitimate employment but were subsequently forced into sex work under duress.

Troy, a former associate of Mwesigwa, revealed that women were informed upon their arrival that they had accumulated debts for airfare, visas, and accommodation, and the only way to settle these debts was through prostitution.

He further explained that the women were compelled to participate in sexual activities he had never witnessed before, satisfying the desires of affluent men seeking women who could bring their fantasies to life.

Charles ‘Abbey’ Mwesigwa was filmed by an undercover reporter claiming women under his control would do ‘pretty much everything’ clients asked

Monic Karungi, a 23-year-old Ugandan woman, died in May 2022. She was wrongly linked to the #DubaiPortaPotty hashtag

‘They see musicians, they see footballers, they see presidents,’ Troy alleged.

‘It doesn’t matter what those girls go through as long as Abbey’s rich clients are happy. These girls, they have no escape route,’ he added. 

Mia (not her real name), who says she was trapped by the network, said at least one of the clients regularly asks to defecate on the women. 

She said that clients were mostly white Europeans. Many clients expect extreme sexual acts from the women because of their race, she said.

The investigation sought to unveil the real stories behind the viral hashtag #DubaiPortaPotty, an internet story of influencers moving to Dubai to be willingly defecated on by wealthy clients for money.

The BBC World Service investigation explores how challenges like youth unemployment have led vulnerable Ugandans to seek work abroad, mainly in the Gulf states.

While many move through safe channels, anti-trafficking activists say many others are forced into prostitution after becoming ensnared by the promise of regular work.

Troy told investigators that Abbey had a network of young men in Uganda who targeted vulnerable women with the offer of legal employment.

Some believed they were travelling to the UAE to work in places like supermarkets or hotels. 

Troy said that women who went against Abbey’s order to ‘repay him’ through exploitative sex work were held until they agreed.

‘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,’ he told the BBC.

Mwesigwa denied the allegations made in the film.

‘I’m just a party person who invites big spenders on my tables hence making many girls flock to my tables. That makes me know many girls and that’s it,’ he said.

He said he helps women find accommodation through landlords, and that women follow him to parties because of his contacts. 

Two women linked to Abbey also died after falling from buildings in Dubai, the BBC learned. Authorities concluded the deaths were suicides, their families told the BBC.

Monic Karungi, a 23-year-old Ugandan woman, died in May 2022, just four months after arriving. She was wrongly linked to the #DubaiPortaPotty hashtag.

She owed Abbey more than $27,000 (£19,918) after several weeks, a relative said she told him.

Mia said Monic and Abbey had been regularly arguing in the period before she left.

‘She had got some kind of job. She was very excited. She thought she was gonna get free, she was going to get her life back because now that was a real job, no sleeping with men,’ Mia said. 

Abbey told the BBC: ‘Monic died with her passport meaning no one was demanding her money for taking her. 

‘Prior to her death I hadn’t seen her for over four to five weeks. I knew both girls and [they] were renting with different landlords. If no one in both flats was arrested or any of the landlords, then there was a reason. 

‘Both incidents were investigated by the Dubai police and maybe they can help you.’

Runako Celina, BBC reporter and producer, said: ‘Monic’s story was reduced to a meme online, but she was so much more than that. 

‘Behind the viral hashtag and the online abuse was a young woman with dreams for a better life, and a family who loved her. 

‘Over the past two years I’ve travelled between Uganda, Dubai and the UK to piece together what happened to her, and along the way I met women who were terrified but brave enough to share their experiences of sexual exploitation. 

‘This isn’t just about one rumour: it’s about the way misinformation, inequality and exploitation feed off each other, and about restoring dignity to women like Monic and Kayla, who can no longer speak for themselves.’ 

‘Death in Dubai: #Dubaiportapotty’ is available on BBC iPlayer from Monday, September 15.

If you feel distressed by the references in this programme, please speak to a heath professional, or an organisation that offers support such as Befrienders Worldwide. www.befrienders.org

For UK viewers, details of organisations offering information about or support after sexual abuse or with feelings of despair are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline.