Over 30 people who forced 50 young women, among whom a number of under-aged, into prostituting themselves in Italy and Bucharest were heard yesterday by prosecutors with the Organized Crime and Terrorism Directorate (DNA) after 26 raids in Bucharest and five counties. The organized crime ring had 37 members 20 to 53 years old.Eighteen of the 26 searches were conducted in Bucharest, two, in Giurgiu, two, Braila, two, Vrancea County, two, Targoviste, one, and Ilfov Co, one, according to Mediafax.Prosecutors say the ring members, coordinated by Marian Stoica of Giurgiu, recruited over 50 victims, adult and underage, from the counties of Giurgiu, Dambovita, Olt and Vranccea, who were coerced with threats and acts of violence into prostituting themselves in Italy’s regions of Milan, Calabria-Rosarno and Messina, but also in Bucharest, Romania.Some of the victims were deceitfully recruited, namely by being promised employment in Italy, and others were bought for EUR 2000 to 3000 from other ring members. “The group members have obtained financial benefits in the region of hundreds of thousands of euro from their criminal activity,” the DIICOT stated.
