In the month of June alone the Metropolitan Police Force’s Trafficking & Kidnap Unit have been responsible for putting away twenty five members of various organised crime groups involved in human trafficking. Sentences of more than 110 years have already been handed down by the courts to gangs from Russia and Romania and a Hungarian organised crime group are still to be sentenced.
In the latest successful conviction six members of an organised crime group led by Vishal Chaudhary were convicted of a series of offences relating to trafficking & sexual exploitation of women aged between 18 and 45. Police believe the group were responsible for trafficking more than 120 women into the UK, where some were forced into prostitution and raped.
Det Sgt Alan Clark, of the Trafficking and Kidnap Unit, said: “Many of the victims have been deeply traumatised by what this gang did to them, and displayed signs of severe distress when they told us what had happened to them. One victim’s graphic account actually brought the interpreter to tears.
“They came to the UK for regular employment, to earn money to make a better life for themselves and their families. Instead, they found themselves trapped and at the mercy of this abusive group. I would like to pay tribute to the bravery of these women during what has been a very lengthy case”
“The group applied a cold business mentality to their crime, treating women as no more than a commodity. We found what can only be described as a centre of operations at a semi detached house in Brent Cross. There were in excess of 40 mobile phones being used to take calls for victims housed across London. Four laptop computers were lined up in a row, all logged on to a website offering sexual services. Often the women weren’t even aware of the services they were expected to provide. There was even an automated system in place to regularly refresh the advertisements they had placed.”