Romania and the United Kingdom dismantle suspected human trafficking operation for sexual exploitation

Romania and the United Kingdom dismantle suspected human trafficking operation for sexual exploitation

A joint Romania-UK investigation has targeted an alleged trafficking network accused of exploiting vulnerable women.

Romanian and British authorities have dismantled an alleged organized crime network accused of trafficking vulnerable young women from Romania to the United Kingdom for sexual exploitation, following coordinated raids and arrests carried out earlier this month, prosecutors said Monday.

Romania’s anti-organized crime prosecutors—DIICOT—said officers carried out nine house searches on January 8 in the counties of Buzău and Dolj as part of an investigation into suspected organized crime and pimping. At the same time, British authorities executed four search warrants in London.

Prosecutors allege that starting in 2020, several suspects, many of them related by family ties, formed an organized criminal group in Buzău county aimed at profiting from the sexual exploitation of young women. The group later expanded to include other members, including two British citizens, according to DIICOT.

Under the alleged scheme, group members recruited young women—including some with whom they had family or intimate relationships—and transported them to the United Kingdom, where they were allegedly forced to engage in prostitution under close supervision, prosecutors said. British members of the group allegedly provided transport, surveillance and “protection” for the women in London and surrounding areas.

Authorities said most of the proceeds from the alleged criminal activity were taken by the group.

Romanian police stated that the investigation led to the seizure of documents, electronic data storage devices and other evidence, as well as the freezing of assets including nine vehicles—some of them luxury cars—and several properties belonging to suspected group members.

Three Romanian suspects were detained following the operation, while two others were placed under judicial control. A court in Buzău ordered the pretrial detention of the three detainees the following day. Investigations are continuing into three additional Romanian suspects, authorities said.

British judicial authorities also ordered the arrest of one British suspect, who has been charged under the U.K.’s Modern Slavery Act, including arranging and facilitating exploitation, according to Eurojust.

Eurojust, the European Union’s judicial cooperation agency, said the case was handled through a joint investigation team set up in October 2023, allowing Romanian and British authorities to share evidence and coordinate actions. The investigation began in late 2022 after police in London identified a group of Romanian women operating in a car park, prompting suspicions of trafficking.