IT’S the most glamorous showbiz event of the year, with the biggest stars in the world descending on Hollywood to party and bag a coveted golden Oscar statuette.

TV cameras will this weekend beam images of A-listers such as La La Land’s Ryan ­Gosling and Emma Stone to millions of homes around the globe as they walk down the red carpet at Los Angeles’s Dolby Theatre.

15 TV cameras will this weekend beam images of A-listers such as La La Land’s Ryan ­Gosling and Emma Stone Credit: AP:Associated Press

But scratch beneath the surface and it soon becomes clear that the ­Academy Awards has a side that is far darker than the glitzy version of Hollywood seen in Gosling and Stone’s Oscar-nominated musical.

A booming trade in drugs and vice sees hundreds of young girls pour into LA to profit from the sex trade’s big event.

As former LAPD vice officer ­Stephany Powell told The Sun: “Pimps know this is a time they can make a lot of money.”

15 But the ­Academy Awards has a side that is far darker than the glitzy version of Hollywood Credit: Getty Images

Stephany, who worked for the LAPD for 30 years and now runs the Journey Out project to help young girls escape the sex trade, said: “I once heard of a party on a private golf course where a tent was set up with girls in it to service men.

“Pimps flood the internet with scores of ads. They get their girls to work the hotel lobbies and bars.

“LAPD will have undercover ­officers out in Hollywood trying to crack down on working girls.”

Girls can rake in up to £40,000 each in Oscars week. Those who have appeared in pornography ­command the highest fees as the wealthy look to fulfil their fantasies of bedding a XXX star.

15 Notorious Hollywood madam Heidi Fleiss ran Hollywood’s most famous prostitution ring in the 1990s Credit: Splash News

15 Actor Charlie Sheen has ­admitted to being a client Credit: Getty Images

In adverts the 18-rated actresses boast of their film credits. One madam told The Sun how they can double their rates for Oscar weekend knowing plenty of movie moguls will be prepared to part with the cash.

Many openly offer “confidentiality contracts for high-profile clientele” in their advertisements.

Pimps flood the internet with scores of ads. They get their girls to work the hotel lobbies and bars

And for Oscars weekend, their fees can almost double. Many set ­minimum rates of £800 for an hour, going up to £6,500 for the whole night. Tips from super-rich stars can take those figures even higher.

A source said: “The top girls know how high the demand is that weekend, so they can afford to hike the prices up and be selective.”

15 More big names were in her contacts book, according to reports last year, ­including Johnny Depp Credit: Getty Images - WireImage

15 Another Hollywood madam, Michelle Braun, supplied some of the most expensive prostitutes in the world Credit: Splash News

Private eye Dan Hanks, who helped bring down Hollywood madam Michelle Braun, explained: “The Hollywood machine is oiled by sex and drugs. It’s all off the books. These people are paid cash.

“The Oscars parties will be arranged well in advance. No one wants their celebrity to have a ‘Hugh Grant’ moment, like when he was busted with a streetwalker.

“Sometimes the girls booked for the parties will be escorts, sometimes they’ll be porn stars.

“Other times they will be attractive young women who came to ­Hollywood to make it but it just hasn’t happened.

15 Two years ago an artist left a life-size statue of an Oscar statuette snorting cocaine on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame Credit: WENN

“These girls are paid to keep their mouths shut. That’s the cardinal rule. The ­parties happen at private houses, hotel suites and clubs."

A Hollywood madam called ­Deborah, who would not reveal her full name said: “Oscars time is great. My girls make $5,000 to $50,000.

“Parties are arranged well in advance. The girls’ names all have to be on a list for them to get in.

“Phones and cameras are an absolute no-no at any of these parties.

15 It came just months after the death of Oscar winner Philip Seymour Hoffman, who died from an overdose of illegal drugs Credit: AP:Associated Press

“No cash changes hands there but the stars will pay thousands.

“I’ve heard of a $20,000 (£16,000) tip from one star a couple of years ago, but the celebs very rarely have direct contact with the pimps and madams.

These girls are paid to keep their mouths shut

"They tell their guy, who tells a guy who tells a guy. There are layers and layers of barriers between the celeb and the bookings.

“But Oscars is like New Year for these movie guys. It’s the end of the year for them. If they’re associated with any movie that’s won they’re going to party hard.”

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Deborah adds: “Working girls from Las Vegas also bus in to LA for the Oscars weekend, too.

“There’s a lot of competition out there among the escorts on Oscars night — but just like the Oscars, there are big prizes to be had.”

Notorious Hollywood madam Heidi Fleiss ran Hollywood’s most famous prostitution ring in the 1990s.

Charlie Sheen has ­admitted to being a client and she also dated Saving Private Ryan actor Tom Sizemore.

15 This year, Hollywood liberals will look to protest against newly elected US ­President Donald Trump Credit: AP:Associated Press

15 Meryl Streep has already clashed with him during her acceptance speech at the Golden Globes Credit: EPA

More big names were in her contacts book, according to reports last year, ­including Johnny Depp and Star Wars director George Lucas — although there is no suggestion those men were personally involved in hiring women.

Fleiss, who served 20 months of a seven-year sentence for tax evasion, told The Sun: “I loved all those Oscars parties. They’re full of a lot of single guys and they want lots of pretty girls.”

Among Hollywood circles, the darker side of Tinseltown appears to be something of an open secret.

Two years ago an artist who calls himself Plastic Jesus left a life-size statue of an Oscar statuette kneeling down to snort cocaine, on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame.

Jimmy Kimmel has confirmed he will be hosting the ceremony

Emma Stone is nominated for the Academy Award for best actress

A year earlier, he produced a similar stunt with an eight-foot ­statue seen appearing to inject heroin. The plaque on its base read: “Hollywood’s Best Kept Secret.”

The striking image came just months after the death of Hollywood star and Oscar winner Philip Seymour Hoffman, who died from an overdose of illegal drugs in his New York apartment.

And speaking anonymously to US website Gawker in 2010, two of the area’s cocaine dealers boasted of their ability to double their incomes during the Oscars. One revealed he expected five-figure profits.

15 Casey Affleck is up for best actor for his performance in Manchester By The Sea Credit: Alamy

15 The stars gathered for a huge photoshoot Credit: EPA

In recent years, officers have cracked down on drug use in the area, but sources insist the battle is far from over.

A source said: “This isn’t about dodgy dealers in back alleys.

“This is a highly organised operation with months of planning. ­Nothing is left to chance. Stars in search of a good time will have absolutely no problem finding one.”

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Elsewhere, this year’s ceremony promises to bring with it fresh ­complications as Hollywood liberals look to turn the event into a ­political protest against newly elected US ­President Donald Trump.

An insider explained: “Oscar ­voting is kept strictly under wraps, but it’s quite likely that some ­Academy ­members will use their votes to send a message to Trump.

“There’s nothing they would like to see more than Meryl Streep win big after she and Trump clashed over her acceptance speech at the Golden Globes. A Muslim winner would be a big statement, too.”

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The added controversy could ­overshadow the stars’ movies — and pose a very real danger.

There are fears the politically charged atmosphere could invite extreme action. More than a ­thousand cops are reportedly on duty including crack marksmen who can hit a target with pinpoint accuracy from more than a mile away.

A spokesman for the LAPD said: “The Oscars provide their own ­security internally. The LAPD is external. We have enough officers deployed to handle any issues.”

Those LA cops will be hoping that Tinseltown’s sex and drugs trade are the only illegal activities they will have to worry about this weekend.