Romanian and British police stormed the Tandarei headquarters of the child traffickers who, in the past six years, exploited some 170 Roma children, aged 7 to 15, sending most of them to beg in Great Britain.
All this time local authorities did nothing to stop the trafficking and exploitation of the poor Roma living in Tandarei, who were turned into slaves by local gang lords. The enslavement started each time with Roma families borrowing money on very high interest rates from local gang lords. It continued with the latter suggesting that the children in the family could help pay the debts if sent to Great Britain to beg.
However, the parents never got off the hook, and the children were supposed to beg indefinitely, or until their activity stayed profitable.
The local gang lords belonged to six families, who entered a crime cartel, with parting among themselves the territory of both Tandarei and London. They are: Radu Constantin, aka Titi Aghiotantu, Ciprian Nicolae, aka Poligrad, Marian Nicolae, aka Marian Miliardaru, Traian Radu, aka Traian Tiganu', Nicolae Radu, aka Talianu, and Mircea Nicolae, aka Bocioc.
The anti-organized crime squad, or DIICOT, searched 33 houses and found five hunting guns, several pistols and two machine-guns, complete with ammunition. Prosecutors decided to put several luxury cars and villas under their seal.
They also indicted 27 people for trafficking minors, money laundering and organized crime.
The group of professionals taking part in the operation included DIICOT prosecutors, 120 officers with the Romanian squad fighting organized crime, 26 officers with the London Metropolitan Police, two analysts with Europol, and 200 riot police.
Translated by AAP Romanian and British police stormed the Tandarei headquarters of the child traffickers who, in the past six years, exploited so
