Organised crime gang members jailed over nationwide prostitution ring

The members of a group of “dangerous” crimes have been sentenced for their part in a prostitution ring that treats women to the United Kingdom from Romania.

The “National Enterprise” saw 14 women between 20 and 30 years as sex workers in South Yorkshire, London and Norfolk, according to Sheffield Crown Court.

The women were announced online and taken to locations to learn about customers, with payments made to those who execute the network.

Five men and two women, all Romanian citizens, declared previously guilty of conspiracy to control prostitution to obtain financial profits.

Valentin Badica, 39, Cristian Damaschin, 35, Ionica Badica, 34, Mihaela Matei, 28, Ionut-Leonard Bahica, 38, Adrian Coroaba, 33 and Iuliana Mavroian, 41, were at the audience on Friday.

Judge Peter Hampton said: “The purpose of the entire business was to make money.

“All of you, in differentiation, benefited from their control of women in the sex industry.”

The court heard that the head of the conspiracy was a man who had died since then, and the seven defendants had different roles in the gang.

Flights were paid for women to come from Romania between 2016 and 2019, and those subsequently involved in airports.

They were there tasks for the houses and lived “with their controllers,” according to the court.

Valentin Badica along with his Badica Ionica brother handled the Doncaster franchise, said the judge, and rented three properties in the city.

The court heard that Valentin paid £ 3,000 in travel costs so that women came to the United Kingdom and sometimes accompanied them on flights.

His partner Mihaela Matei worked as a receptionist for the business and was an “essential connection between customers and women,” according to the court.

Damaschin was responsible for administering the Ilford franchise, while his partner Iuliana Mavroian worked with him as a receptionist.

Bahica and Coroaba worked as drivers who took women to customers, the sentence was told.

The nature of women’s work left them open to physical and sexual abuse, according to the court.

Valentin Badica, or Ellesmere Road, Newcastle and Damaschin or Colston Street, Newcastle, were imprisoned for two years and eight months.

Ionica Badica, or Farndale Road, Newcastle, was imprisoned for two years and two months.

Bahica, or leases Park Road, Newcastle, and Coroaba, or Hillwood Close, Sheffield, received a jail term or 11 months, suspended for two years.

Matei, or Ellesmere Road, Newcastle, was sentenced to one year and 10 months in prison, suspended for two years.

The shares of the gang were discovered after an investigation that involved multiple police forces along with the Romanian authorities.

Sergeant Rachael Smith, or the South Yorkshire police said: “This has an extensive investigation that has led to the successful closure of a group of dangerous crimes.

“Everyone deserves to live their life free of damage and control, but the thesis people chose to exploit the vulnerability of their young victims without care of the damage they caused.”