Eleven Moldovan women trafficked to Greece by crime ring

Chisinau, 24 October /MOLDPRES/ - An international crime ring has trafficked  11 young women from Moldova, among whom a minor, to Greece and subsequently imposed them to practice prostitution.  The activity of the ring was disclosed by law-enforcers from Moldova jointly with the police from Greece.   

According to the deputy head of the Centre for Combating the Trafficking of Human Beings at the National Investigations Inspectorate (INI), Artur Degteariov, to disguise the illegal stay of the victims in Greece, the crime ring’s members were forging Romanian papers and were making fictitious marriages with Greek citizens.

The head of the crime ring is a citizen of Albania aged 36, followed in the scheme by 14 people born in various countries, of whom four Moldovans. Thus, the victims were lured in Moldova and subsequently carried to Greece, where they were sexually exploited in ten brothels, directly managed by the crime ring’s members of Albanian origin. The victims were supervised physically, as well as by means of cameras.    

The girls were serving from 25 to 80 clients per day and were receiving 30 euros; the rest of money was distributed between the crime ring’s members. Following the repeated sexual exploitation, one of the victims underwent a surgical intervention and was afterwards imposed to continue providing the sexual services.   

According to Degteariov, 11 searches were made in Athens on 21 September: three ones at the homes of the traffickers and eight at brothels. At the same time, a search was carried out in Moldova’s southern region, where one of the members of the crime ring, born in Moldova, was staying.  

Following the searches made in Greece, 15 people were detained. As much as   72,540 euros, four vehicles, two motorcycles, a small quantity of cocaine, five stay permits with forged signs, two forged Romanian identity cards and 29 mobile phones were found and raised at the homes of the traffickers and at brothels.

At the search made at the home of the recruiter from Moldova, law-enforcers found and raised two illegally held guns and ammunition. The suspect is presently under arrest and distraint was levied on his assets – 13 plots of land and one transport means.  

So far, three victims have been repatriated, among whom the minor. The rest of the victims are provided assistance at a centre of victims’ rehabilitation from Athens and are to subsequently return home.  

For committing the offence, the suspects run the risk of being punished with imprisonment from 15 to 20 years or life sentence.