Border policemen from Timisoara Airport B.C.P., Timis
C.I.B.P. and G.I.B.P., under the coordination of prosecutors from
the Directorate for the Investigation of Organized Crime and
Terrorist Acts and in cooperation with authorities from Mexico,
United States of America and Hungary dismantled an international
network of illegal migration.
The investigations carried out by the Romanian border policemen
lasted approximately 5 years, and after the documentation and
gathering evidence to prove the criminal activity of the network
members, over 140 Romanian citizens were identified as having
illegally reached Mexico being afterwards facilitated to the United
States, for amounts comprised between 7,000 and 10,000 U.S. dollars
per person.
Following the illegal activity the network made up of Romanian
citizens obtained large amounts of currency 759,781 Euro and
256,258 U.S. dollars - as well as a Mercedes ML320.
Based on the information provided by Romanian border policemen some
of the network members were arrested in Mexico and U.S.A. for use
of false documents, conspiracy in the illegal introduction of
foreign citizens into the U.S.A. or for trafficking with
persons.
At the same time, the heads of the networks, 4 Romanian citizens
were sent to trial for committing the crimes of association for the
purpose of facilitating the fraudulent border crossing into a
foreign state, one of them being also accused for complicity in
forgery in official documents.
Investigations
It all started in 2005, when border policemen within Timisoara Airport B.C.P. opened a criminal file on the name of a Romanian citizen returning from U.S.A. for illegal crossing of a foreign state border, being established that the concerned person had illegally reached in Mexico and from there had headed to the U.S.
Within the investigations and following the operational activities, border policemen from Timis county collected data and information according to which on the relation Romania - Mexico - U.S.A., acted an organized criminal group, which dealt with trafficking in persons.
As a consequence, border policemen under the direct coordination of prosecutors from Directorate for the Investigation of Organized Crime and Terrorist Acts - Timisoara territorial office, with the support of the Romanian Intelligence Office and in cooperation with the authorities from Mexico (National Institute for Emigration and the General Attorney's Office), United States of America (F.B.I., U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the New York County District Attorney's Office) and Hungary instituted complex informational-operational activities for collecting evidence to prove the group's criminal activity.
The network and its operation modality
The network lead by four Romanian citizens residing in Arad, dealt with the recruitment of persons interested to reach the U.S.A., initially helped them to illegally cross the border in Mexico based on false or forged documents, and after that swimming or by boat they illegally crossed the border in the U.S.A.
Thus it was established that in the period 2005 - 2010, the members of the criminal group recruited approximately 142 persons, Romanian citizens. They had legally exited Romania to Hungary based on personal passports, from there they were transported by plane to Ciudad de Mexico, using false documents.
In Mexico the concerned persons were accommodated at the residence of one of the network members, and after groups of minimum 5 persons were set up, they were transported in the proximity of the border with the USA. They crossed the Rio Grande river by a dinghy boat or swimming in order to illegally enter the U.S. territory having New York as final destination. For the granted support, the traffickers received from each person amounts ranging from 7,000 to 10,000 U.S. dollars. Those who could not pay the money were forced to beg or work to pay their debt.
The Romanian border policemen worked out for the concerned persons, upon their return into the country, criminal files for committing the crime of illegal crossing of a foreign state border.
Searches
In these cases, border policemen carried out under the coordination of the prosecutors from the Directorate for the Investigation of Organized Crime and Terrorist Acts several house searches to the network members, and on this occasion a series of documents were seized consisting in: Mexican passports, international driving licenses, Mexican election cards, false or forged travel documents as well as statements of account, bank invoices with different amounts of money from the trafficked persons who reached the U.S. These documents had proofing potential regarding the criminal activity of the network.
At the same time it was proved that the network obtained from the trafficked persons large amounts of money, 759,781 and 256,528 U.S. dollars - as well as a Mercedes ML 320 which are to be confiscated by the court of justice.
Measures
After the operational exchange of information and based on the data placed at disposal by the Romanian border policemen, the authorities from Mexico and U.S.A. have carried out specific activities for the purpose of detecting and detaining the members of the group of trafficking with persons which acted on the territory of the two states, for use of false documents, conspiracy in the illegal introduction of foreign citizens into the U.S. or for trafficking with persons.
At the same time, in Romania, the network heads, 4 Romanian citizens were sent to trial for committing the crimes of association for facilitating the illegal crossing of a foreign state border, one of them being accused also for complicity in the forgery of official documents.