Police detain 19 individuals in sexual exploitation case in Romania, Italy

Police and prosecutors carried out 25 searches in Romania and Italy on Tuesday, November 18, aiming to dismantle a group made up of four families, who allegedly sexually exploited, mainly in Italy, more than 30 victims.

After the searches, 19 people were detained, and two others were placed under judicial control for forming an organized criminal group, human trafficking, pimping, and money laundering.

The group, which allegedly obtained over EUR 1.7 million, was organized in a pyramidal structure, being led by the oldest members of the four families.

“They constituted the decision-making factor of the network, having the role of coordinating both financial operations and logistical aspects, from the position of leaders, and managing the sums of money resulting from the exploitation of the victims,” the investigators explained.

The group leaders exercised strict control over the criminal activities carried out by the other members, supervising both the transport of the victims from Romania to Italy and their exploitation. The illegally obtained funds were used to acquire real estate properties, luxury cars, gold jewelry, and other costly assets, meant to offer an appearance of legal prosperity.

“The second level of the group, made up of first-degree relatives of the leaders, had the role of identifying, recruiting victims and, subsequently, controlling their activity carried out in areas known for street prostitution,” the cited sources said.

The final, third level in the group consisted of the ones who allegedly received the sums of money obtained from the sexual exploitation of the victims.

“From the investigations carried out within the joint investigation team, set up under the aegis of EUROJUST and with the support of EUROPOL, it resulted that the organized crime group recruited, transported, sheltered, and exploited over 30 injured persons,” the police and prosecutors stated.

Following the searches carried out in the two states, 8 luxury cars were discovered and seized. Also seized were sums of money in lei, euros, US dollars, pounds sterling, and Norwegian kroner, alongside bank cards, 3 illegally possessed non-lethal pistols, over 100 cartridges, data storage devices, documents, and others.

(Photo source: Cateyeperspective | Dreamstime.com