Police, crime busters conducting 457 searches, serving 367 arrest warrants on wide mission

Directorate for Investigating Organised Crime and Terror (DIICOT) prosecutors and the Romanian Police, with support from the Gendarmerie, conducted 47 missions on Wednesday morning for the disbandment of organised crime rings specialising in human and child trafficking, exploitation of vulnerable persons, migrant trafficking, cybercrime, drug trafficking and property crimes with particularly serious consequences, agerpres reports.

According to DIICOT, the action was part of a series of similar initiatives carried out since 2018.

As part of the nationwide operation, DIICOT prosecutors along with police officers conducted 457 house searches and served 367 arrest warrants.

"The action reflects the concern of the specialist bodies to constantly investigate crimes like trafficking in persons and minors, as well as any forms of exploitation of vulnerable persons as part of the efforts of the Romanian law enforcement to effectively combat this criminal phenomenon," according to DIICOT.

At the same time, criminal groups involved in the commission of other crimes falling under the DIICOT jurisdiction and that had operated in Romania or across borders were also targeted.

The searches were conducted to find evidence of the illegal activity of organised crime groups for their criminal prosecution, as well as for the identification of assests likely to be confiscated or intended to recover damages.