In Finland, the prosecutor has charged five Romanian citizens in a case of pimping and human trafficking with aggravating circumstances.
According to the investigation, from 2023 to 2025, they organized a network providing sex services that operated in rented apartments in various regions of the country, reports dailyfinland.
Three suspects were arrested in August (in the cities of Turku and Oulu), and two more in October in Helsinki.
The main points of illegal activity, according to the investigation, were located outside the capital region; one of the key locations was an apartment in the city of Tampere.
As a result of the preliminary investigation, it was established that 14 individuals became victims of this group. All were from Romania. It appears that the suspects recruited them abroad and then placed them in apartments for "work."
As noted in the police press release, the turnover from the sale of sex services during the gang's operation - just under two years - is estimated at nearly 1 million euros.
In fact, in Finland, the sale of sexual services is not officially prohibited; however, pimping and human trafficking, as well as purchasing sex from trafficking victims, are criminal offenses. In this case, according to Finnish police, it involves coercion, exploitation, and organized criminal activity - which makes the charges serious.
The case will be heard in the district court of the Pirkanmaa region, with hearings starting on December 12.
Experts estimate that illegal organizations controlling sex services increasingly operate through rented apartments and online advertisements, significantly complicating police work.
An important point: many victims are afraid to seek help - due to fear, blackmail, language barriers, and dependence on their "employer." For this reason, official figures do not reflect the scale of the problem.
