Searches in Teleorman, Bucharest and three other counties / Migrant traffickers were operating in Romania, Italy and Austria. Fabulous sums collected from citizens of Asian and African origin

On Wednesday, April 24, the prosecutors of the Directorate for the Investigation of Organized Crime and Terrorism – Brașov Territorial Service, together with police officers from the Brașov Organized Crime Brigade, implemented 21 home search warrants in the Brașov, Timiș, Teleorman counties. , Ilfov and the municipality of Bucharest, in a case regarding the commission of the crimes of forming an organized criminal group, migrant trafficking and instigation in the form of improper participation in intellectual forgery.

From the research carried out, it emerged that, starting from 2021 and until now, more than 20 suspects (Romanian and foreign citizens), organized in a criminal structure on hierarchical levels, have acted on the territory of Romania, Italy and Austria, directly or through legal entities in which they hold the capacity of administrator, for the purpose of committing the crime of migrant trafficking.

Thus, the members of the group recruited, directly and through the controlled commercial companies, several citizens of Asian (mainly from Pakistan) and African origin, under the pretext of labor recruitment. Later, some of the suspects, under the coordination and instructions of the leader, submitted applications for the issuance of work permits to various County Immigration Services in the country, and after obtaining the documents and completing the formalities, other members took the migrants from the airport, i – they stayed in different locations in Bucharest, after which they transferred them to the area of ​​Timişoara. From here they were taken and crossed the state border of Romania, illegally, both on foot and hidden in various means of transport, the destination being countries in western Europe (mainly Italy).

The suspects collected sums between 5,000 and 10,000 euros from each migrant, and forced those who could not pay to perform unpaid work for a year in Italy, for the benefit of one of the members of the criminal group.

During the investigations carried out in the case, more than 10 migrant transports were detected and stopped.

In order to document the criminal activity, the judicial authorities in Romania and Italy concluded, in 2024, an agreement for the establishment of a Joint Investigation Team – JIT (Joint Investigation Team), on Wednesday 6 home searches were carried out on the territory of Italy. Also, on the basis of a European Investigation Order sent by DIICOT prosecutors – Brașov Territorial Service, the Austrian police officers carried out two house searches in Salzburg.

The sums of USD 71,005, EUR 68,730, GBP 4,820, RON 26,900 and SEK 3,050, as well as several documents, were identified and seized from the locations where the home searches were carried out.

More than 20 people were taken for hearings at the headquarters of the Directorate for Investigation of Organized Crime and Terrorism – Brașov Territorial Service.

The action benefited from the support of the Bucharest Organized Crime Fighting Brigade, the Teleorman Organized Crime Fighting Service, the Sibiu Organized Crime Fighting Service, the police from IPJ Vâlcea, the immigration police from the territorial structures of Bucharest, Brașov and Timișoara, fighters Special Actions Services from IPJ Brasov and Teleorman, border police from IPTF Oradea – SPF Vărșand and gendarmes from the Special Intervention Brigade of the Gendarmerie and the Timișoara Gendarmerie Mobile Group.

Specialist support was provided by the Special Operations Directorate of the Romanian Police.

It should be noted 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.