Judicial and law enforcement authorities in Ireland, the UK and Romania say they have dismantled a criminal network involved in trafficking, sexual exploitation, pimping and money laundering.
A statement from Eurojust, the European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation, said 12 suspects were charged during a “joint action day” on Wednesday.
Of the 12 suspects, five of them were detained while four are under judicial control. A total of 19 house searches were carried out, two in Ireland and 17 in Romania.
During the searches, items including laptops and mobile phones were seized. Six properties, six premium and luxury vehicles and more than €22,500 in cash has been frozen, Eurojust said.
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The organised crime group, active since 2017, allegedly recruited young Romanian women, some of them minors, and transported them to Ireland and the UK where they were sexually exploited. The prostitution service was advertised on dedicated escort websites and took place in rented apartments in various cities.
Exploit
Starting initially in the UK, the leader of the criminal group allegedly organised and developed a “genuine prostitution network”, assigning a specific role to each member of the group. He also created the conditions for other pimps to join and use the network to sexually exploit their own victims.
“It is believed that the prostitution activities generated large sums of money that were used by the suspects to finance their luxurious lifestyles and to purchase valuable assets,” the Eurojust statement said. “Profits were laundered through banks and other money transfer services to conceal their illicit origin.”
Gardaí said the two Irish searches were carried out at residential locations, one in the south and the other in the west of Ireland.
“A number of persons were identified and spoken to at both locations and material of evidential value was recovered,” gardaí said. “This material will be provided to the Romanian authorities, under the terms of the joint investigation team, who are the lead authority in this investigation.”
‘Heinous crime’
Det Chief Supt Colm Noonan, of the Garda National Protective Services Bureau, said human trafficking for sexual exploitation is a “heinous crime, exploiting another human being for the commercial benefit of the trafficker”.
“An Garda Síochána is determined to ensure that this type of crime is identified and investigated at every opportunity,” he said.
Det Chief Supt Noonan also appealed to any person who may be the victim of human trafficking, and is in a position to reach out for help, to contact An Garda Síochána.
“I am conscious that not every victim may be in a position to do so, I would appeal to any persons who knows of a possible victim of human trafficking or suspects human trafficking to contact An Garda Síochána, provide us with the information, let us investigate the suspicions,” he added.
The case was opened in December 2021 at the request of the Romanian authorities. A joint investigation team was set up between the Irish, UK and Romanian authorities with the support of Eurojust last May. Three coordination meetings were hosted by the agency to allow for judicial cooperation and to provide support for the coordinated investigative efforts.
