Watch police arrest men for running brothels and human trafficking

Police arrest three men for running brothels and human trafficking in dramatic video.

George Filip, 45, Alexandru Moco, 27, and Leonard Banica, 41, targeted sixteen vulnerable women - bringing them into the UK to work as sex workers.

The three offenders fled the country while under investigation, but the police's international criminal justice partners returned them to the UK.

Ionela Filip, 34, also worked with the trio to run the prostitution ring, using the women for their own financial gain.

All defendants pleaded guilty to multiple offences and were sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court on 30 October 2026.

The investigation into their crimes started in 2020 following reports of suspicious behaviour at various properties in Newport.

The group worked together to exploit women and moved them to different locations in Newport, Birmingham and Scotland in their attempt to keep their crimes unnoticed.

Detective Superintendent Robin Fuller, from Gwent Police, the senior investigating officer, said: "This was a complex investigation that involved meticulous enquiries, evidence gathering and partnership working in an effort to prosecute this group of people.

"Officers disrupted their criminal business in 2020 when warrants were executed at a number of locations in Newport leading to arrests.

“During the investigation three of the offenders George Filip, Leonard Banica, and Alex Moco all fled the country to try and evade justice. However, we worked with our criminal justice partners internationally to bring them back to be held accountable for their crimes.

“The examination of bank accounts showed the group was making huge amounts of cash from the illegal business they’d been running since 2015.

"All initially denied being involved in any criminal activity but with the strength of evidence that we were able to present they pleaded guilty to various offences."

George Filip, of no fixed address, received the longest sentence of eight years and two months after pleading guilty on 11 different counts.

Four on conspiracy to traffic, three for conspiracy to control prostitution for gain, and one count for trafficking into the UK of another person for sexual exploitation.

He also plead guilty to two counts of transferring criminal property and one of removing criminal property from England and Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland.

Leonard Banica, of Romania, was sentenced to three years and nine months after pleading to three counts of conspiracy to control prostitution for gain, one for conspiracy to traffic, and two for transferring criminal property.

Alexandru Moco, of Friary Road, Birmingham, was sentenced to 15 months imprisonment after pleading guilty to three separate charges: conspiracy to control prostitution for gain, conspiracy to traffic, and being concerned in an arrangement which facilitates the acquisition, retention, use of control of criminal property by another.

Ionela Filip, of Waterloo Road, Smethwick, received a suspended sentence after pleading guilty to: three counts of conspiracy to control prostitution for gain, two for transferring criminal property and one for removing criminal property from England and Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland.