Organized Crime Groups Dismantled Following Joint Investigations by Czech Republic and Finland

Organized Crime Groups Dismantled Following Joint Investigations by Czech Republic and Finland

(IN BRIEF) A criminal network involved in human trafficking for sexual exploitation has been dismantled by the joint efforts of the Czech Republic and Finland, with the support of Eurojust and Europol. The organized crime groups recruited women in the Czech Republic and forced them into prostitution in various locations across the Czech Republic and Finland. Thirteen suspects have been arrested in three joint actions, resulting in over 90 victims being rescued. The OCGs laundered a part of the victims’ earnings to conceal the illegal source of their profits. The group is believed to have accumulated large amounts of money through this criminal activity.

(PRESS RELEASE) THE HAGUE, 25-Apr-2023 — /EuropaWire/ — Eurojust, an agency of the European Union dealing with judicial co-operation in criminal matters among agencies of the member states, announces that a criminal network involved in trafficking human beings for sexual exploitation has been dismantled by joint efforts from the Czech Republic and Finland. With the support of Eurojust and Europol, thirteen suspects have been arrested in three separate actions, resulting in over 90 victims being brought to safety. Eurojust provided funding and assistance in setting up a joint investigation team (JIT) to tackle this organized crime.

The interconnected organized crime groups (OCGs) have been active since at least 2019, recruiting women in the Czech Republic and forcing them into prostitution in various locations across the Czech Republic and Finland. The OCGs were well-organized with a clear division of roles. The suspects managed the transport and accommodation of the victims, promoted their services on specialized escort websites, and communicated with the customers.

The OCGs laundered a part of the victims’ earnings to conceal the illegal source of their profits. It is believed that they have accumulated large amounts of money through this criminal activity. In three joint actions that took place between April 2022 and January 2023, thirteen suspects were arrested, and over €200,000 in cash, three apartments, four luxury vehicles, and other valuable items were seized. More than 90 victims have been identified and rescued from the OCGs.

In April 2022, the first joint action by Czech and Finnish authorities resulted in the conviction of three members of an OCG by the Finnish court. The main suspect was sentenced to 2 years and 10 months imprisonment for aggravated pandering and other offenses, while the second suspect received 1 year conditional imprisonment for similar charges. The proceeds of the crime confiscated from the two amounted to EUR 219,000 and EUR 6,700 respectively. The third suspect was sentenced to 3 months conditional imprisonment for aiding in pandering.

The case was initiated by the Czech authorities in May 2021, and a joint investigation team (JIT) was established with the support of Eurojust in August 2021. Three coordination meetings were hosted by Eurojust to facilitate judicial cooperation and prepare for the action days.

During the operation, Europol supported the JIT by deploying Analysis Project Phoenix members with a mobile office to conduct on-the-spot cross-checking and provide forensic support.

The following authorities took part in this investigation:

• Czech Republic: Regional Public Prosecutor’s Office in České Budějovice, Regional Public Prosecutor’s Office in Prague, District Public Prosecutor’s Office for Prague 3 and District Public Prosecutor’s Office in Ostrava; Police of the Czech Republic, National Centre Against Organised Crime Unit, Branch České Budějovice
• Finland: Helsinki Police Department; Finnish Prosecution Authority, Prosecution District of Southern Finland

Media contact:

Eurojust Press Team
Phone: + 31 70 412 55 00
media@eurojust.europa.eu

SOURCE: EUROJUST