Fugitive Romanian Crime Boss Awaits Extradition from Britain

One of Romania's most wanted organised crime bosses is in detention while waiting to be returned to his home country, after a British court ruled on Wednesday to remand him in custody until September 15.

Florin Ghinea, 43, was arrested on Tuesday as he was leaving a gym in Watford, Hertfordshire, according to the National Crime Agency's Armed Operations Unit.

Ghinea is wanted for leading a criminal network that exploited and trafficked Romanian women to Ireland, the United Arab Emirates and Finland. He was previously convicted of human trafficking in France in 2010 and of cloning credit cards in Romania in 2011.

He will appear in court for an extradition hearing on September 25.

Ghinea, the leader of a criminal gang nicknamed Ghenosu and based in Tragoviste, southern Romania, is wanted for human trafficking, conspiracy to murder and blackmail, as well as money laundering.

He vanished from Bucharest in May, minutes before organised crime prosecutors and police raided his house to arrest him.

According to Romanian prosecutors, he was tipped off by a policeman he met right before the raid. Interior Minister Carmen Dan ordered an internal investigation.

The US State Department's 2018 Trafficking in Persons report described Romania as a source, transit, and destination country for women and children subjected to sex trafficking, as well as for men, women, and children subjected to forced labour, while reports have claimed that most European human-trafficking networks originate from Romania.

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