A major prostitution ring that trafficked women from Romania to towns and cities across the UK was uncovered after a neighbour on a quiet street in Newport, Wales, began recording visitors to a house in the Bishpool View cul-de-sac. The log of people coming and going helped expose an organised crime group whose activity stretched from Wales to the Scottish Highlands and generated hundreds of thousands of pounds.
Cardiff Crown Court heard that George Filip, 45, his wife Ionela Filip, 35, Leonard Banica, 41, and Alexandru Moco, 27, played different roles in the enterprise. They trafficked women into the UK and transported them around the country to work as prostitutes, WalesOnline reported.
The women were taken to locations including Cwmbran, Hereford, Stoke-on-Trent, Aberdeen and Inverness. To attract customers, the group advertised their services online and posted multiple photographs of them in provocative poses. Members also handled contact with clients, arranged bookings and managed the bank accounts used to collect payments. Substantial sums were later transferred into offshore accounts.
Moving the women between towns and cities let the group advertise in several parts of Britain and extend the operation beyond Newport. Evidence at Cardiff Crown Court set out how the four worked together to traffic women from Romania and organise their movements in the UK. Their activity came to light after the neighbour grew suspicious of the unusual number of visitors at the Newport address.
All four were sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court. They received combined prison terms totalling 30 years. Ionela Filip was given a suspended sentence.