On 13.02.2023, the prosecutors of the Organized Crime and Terrorism Investigation Department - Sibiu Territorial Office together with judicial police officers from the General Inspectorate of the Romanian Police and the General Inspectorate of the Border Police carried out 34 home searches within the municipality Bucharest and the counties of Ilfov, Argeș, Dâmbovița, Teleorman, Olt, Sibiu, Arad, Vâlcea, Vrancea and Galaţi in order to destroy an organized criminal group, specialized in committing the crime of migrant trafficking.
In the case, it was noted that, in 2021, an organized criminal group was formed, made up of Romanian citizens, in order to commit the crime of migrant trafficking, to easily obtain large sums of money, a group that acted till present date.
In order to achieve the purpose of the criminal group, its members harbored and transported migrants, who came from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka.
For the transport of migrants, road trains, trailers and vans were used, which were the property of the members of the organized criminal group or which were used by commercial companies.
Under the pretext of goods deliveries with the final destination being states of the European Union, several transports were carried out for the purpose of fraudulently crossing the western border of Romania, the migrants being hidden among the goods.
During the criminal investigation, with the support of the General Inspectorate of the Border Police, 5 transports were documented through which the members of the group tried to illegally remove approximately 120 migrants from Romania.
About 30 people suspected of being involved in criminal activities will be brought to the headquarters of the Directorate for the Investigation of Organized Crime and Terrorism - Sibiu Territorial Office for questioning.
The action benefits from the support of judicial police officers from the Bucharest, Alba Iulia and Pitești Organized Crime Brigades and the Teleorman, Vâlcea, Olt, Dâmbovița, Galați, Vrancea and Arad Organized Crime Services and the General Inspectorate of the Border Police - Directorate for the Prevention and Combating of Illegal Migration and Cross-Border Criminality.
Specialist support was provided by the Special Operations Directorate within the General Inspectorate of the Romanian Police.
We make it clear that during the entire criminal process, the investigated persons benefit from the procedural rights and guarantees provided by the Code of Criminal Procedure, as well as the presumption of innocence.
