The Czech police have taken part in a raid against an international gang that forced more than 50 women from Romania into prostitution in Spain, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, and Romania.
According to the National Centre for Combatting Organized Crime (NCOZ), the international police team arrested 14 people in Romania, Spain, and the Czech Republic.
According to police sources, the Romanian women forced into prostitution came from poor backgrounds. Within the Czech Republic’s territory, the police found three injured women and carried out one house search.
According to the EU judicial cooperation agency Eurojust, women face abuse, threats, and forced drug use. Revenues from prostitution were handed over to gang members, who then brought them back to Romania.
The crackdown on the organized criminal group was carried out by police officers in several European countries on Dec. 11.
“The whole operation was coordinated by the EU judicial cooperation body Eurojust, based in The Hague, Netherlands, which set up a coordination center for this purpose and provided continuous analytical support,” said Jaroslav Ibehej, NCOZ spokesman.
“Based on the European Investigation Order, NCOZ criminalists carried out one house search in the Czech Republic and tracked down three injured women who were subsequently interrogated,” said Ibehej while describing the role of Czech police in the case.
The criminal procedure is currently being conducted by the prosecutor’s office in Constanța, Romania.
