A group of seven men have been charged with more than 40 offences against 11 teenage victims in Bristol.
The men have been charged with the offences, which date from between 2022 and 2025.
They were re-arrested on Tuesday in a targeted police operation in Bristol and will appear at Bristol Magistrates’ Court later this morning.
Mohamed Arafe, 19, of Speedwell in Bristol, Sina Omari, 20, of Fishponds in Bristol, Wadie Sharaf, 21, of Redland in Bristol, Hussain Bashar, 19, of Southmead in Bristol and Mohammed Kurdi, 21, of Henbury in Bristol have all been charged.
A 19-year-old man and a 26-year-old man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, have also been charged.
Detective Chief Inspector Tom Herbert, the senior investigating officer, said: "This remains a complex and sensitive investigation which has the protection of young girls from exploitation and the disruption of offending at its very heart.
“Working with our partners, we’ve ensured the most appropriate safeguarding measures and support has been made available to each victim to protect them from harm.
"Officers have been working around the clock to identify potential offences and we’ve worked extremely closely with the CPS to reach this highly significant stage."
The men will appear at Bristol Magistrates Court later today
|PA
Bristol Superintendent Deepak Kenth said: "Neighbourhood officers have been supporting the investigation since these offences were first identified.
"We know this update will be a huge shock to our communities and I want to reassure everyone that we’ll continue to work tirelessly to protect children from abuse and exploitation."
Arafe, who is Syrian-Arab, has been charged with five counts of arranging or facilitating the sexual exploitation of a child, one count of causing or inciting the sexual exploitation of a child, one count of sexual assault, one count of being concerned in the supply of cocaine and a further count of being concerned in the supply of ecstasy.
Omari, who is Iranian-Arab, has been charged with two counts of rape, four counts of arranging or facilitating the sexual exploitation of a child, one count of causing or inciting the sexual exploitation of a child, two counts of making an indecent photograph of a child, one count of being concerned in the supply of cocaine and a further count of being concerned in the supply of ecstasy.
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The men will appear at the Bristol court later today
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Sharaf, 21, who is Syrian-Arab, has been charged with one count of rape, one count of attempted rape, three counts of sexual assault, and a further count of sexual activity with a child.
Bashar, who is British, has been charged with one count of rape.
Kurdi, who is British-Arab, has been charged with two counts of rape, two counts of arranging or facilitating the sexual exploitation of a child, one count of supplying a class A drug (ecstasy) and a further count of supplying a class B drug (cannabis).
The 19-year-old has been charged with four counts of rape, one count of arranging or facilitating the sexual exploitation of a child, one count of distributing an indecent photograph of a child, one count of being concerned in the supply of cocaine and a further count of being concerned in the supply of ecstasy.
The 26-year-old has been charged with two counts of rape and one count of sexual assault.