Romanian brothers jailed for human trafficking in Northern Ireland

Two Romanian brothers have been jailed after admitting human trafficking. Decebal Mihai, 28 and 21-year-old Spartacus Mihai, part of a Romanian crime gang operating a UK-wide human trafficking network in Northern Ireland, were sentenced at Belfast Crown Court on Wednesday, belfastlive.co.uk reports.

The pair, originally from Romania but living in Kenlis Street, Banbridge, pleaded guilty to a number of offences including controlling prostitution for gain, conspiracy to traffic for sexual exploitation, acquiring criminal property and converting criminal property.

Decebal Mihai was sentenced to four years in custody and Spartacus Mihai was sentenced to three years. Both will spend half their sentence on licence.

Charges were brought after police found vulnerable women, they describe as “absolutely terrified”, at addresses on the Newtownards Road in East Belfast and Banbridge in May last year.

The police investigation was one of the biggest of its kind in Northern Ireland. Detective Chief Inspector Mark Bell, head of the PSNI’s Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Unit, described it as a “particularly distressing case”.

“Victims of human trafficking experience the most horrific of ordeals,” he said. “Their captors subject them to a degrading life which violates their human rights and denies them their rights to life, freedom and safety.

“Detectives from the Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Unit arrested Decebal and Spartacus Mihai as part of one of the biggest investigations into Human Trafficking in Northern Ireland. The brothers were part of a Romanian organised crime gang involved in trafficking females into, within and out of Northern Ireland for the purposes of sexual exploitation.”

Decebal Mihai, on various dates between December 2013 and April 2017, acquired around £150,000 from his human trafficking. Spartacus Ilie Mihai, on various dates between December 2014 and May 2017, acquired around £27,000 from human trafficking, the same source informs.