DIICOT: 57 searches in Romania, Germany and Austria for human trafficking – two police officers targeted
The Burtea clan network, active since 2020, sexually exploited approximately 30 young women in several European states. Two police officers are suspected of providing inside information.
DIICOT operation against Burtea clan: searches in three countries, two police officers suspected
On Thursday, 5 November 2026, DIICOT prosecutors and police specialists in combating human trafficking carried out 57 simultaneous searches in Romania, Germany and Austria, targeting the Burtea clan's human trafficking network. According to goldring.ro, the operation is part of a case that also includes two police officers, suspected of providing confidential information to members of the gang.
In Romania, 36 home searches were carried out in Bucharest, Ilfov and Buzău. Investigators conducted simultaneous raids in Germany – 21 searches in Nuremberg, Hamburg, Freiburg and Stuttgart – and in Austria, where they targeted a nightclub in Vienna.
Network established in 2020, with approximately 30 members
The gang is believed to have been set up in Bucharest in January 2020, under the coordination of a 35-year-old man. The network, made up of approximately 30 people, linked largely by family ties, sought to obtain profits through the sexual exploitation of young women in several European states. The leader is believed, according to investigators, to come from a family with a history of illegal activities.
Investigators have identified approximately 30 victims to date, recruited using the "loverboy" method: simulated romantic relationships to gain trust, followed by emotional pressure, blackmail and physical violence to force them into prostitution.
Roles within the network and money flow
Gang members were involved in identifying and recruiting victims, transporting them to Germany, the Netherlands and Austria, posting advertisements on specialist platforms and organising meetings with clients. The young women were housed in rented properties for this purpose.
Money obtained from exploitation reached the pimps through several channels: bank transfers, rapid money remittance services, direct cash transport by drivers or trusted persons, as well as through trips abroad by network members to collect the sums in person. According to DIICOT, through bank transfers alone the suspects obtained and moved over three million euros.
Two police officers suspected of complicity
The case also targets two police officers. The first is suspected of passing information to network members about a complaint filed by one of the victims. The second is believed to have taken steps to take over the case with a view to controlling and delaying investigations and to have accessed the databases of the Ministry of Internal Affairs to disclose information about cases in which gang members were being investigated.
The offences retained in the case are: forming an organised criminal group, human trafficking, pimping, aiding and abetting the offender and disclosure of secret or non-public service information.
Mario Danciu among those targeted
According to judicial sources cited by goldring.ro, among the suspects in this case is Mario Danciu, the young man involved in the August 2024 accident in the exterior car park of Pantelimon Park. In that incident, he struck two children with his car: a 9-year-old boy who died and his 7-year-old sister, seriously injured.
Joint investigation team with Germany, under Eurojust auspices
To document cross-border criminal activity, the authorities from Romania and Germany established in September 2026 a joint investigation team, on the basis of an agreement concluded under Eurojust auspices. The operations carried out in Romania involved representatives of Europol and German police. A representative of the Organised Crime Combat Directorate within the Human Trafficking Combat Service is also involved in actions outside the country.
The operation was carried out jointly by DIICOT and DIRLET.
Source: Google News RO — Crime (ro)