Two individuals, Costel Tambac and Mariana Iova, have been sentenced to a combined 17 years in prison for modern slavery offenses after forcing trafficked women into sex work across the UK.
The victims were lured to the country from abroad under the false promise of legitimate employment, such as working in meat factories. Upon arrival, Romanian nationals Tambac, 50, and Iova, 35, seized their identity documents and compelled them into prostitution at brothels in areas including Leeds, Dewsbury, Oldham, and Nottingham.
The court heard that the pair sold the women, advertised them on adult services websites, and used violence and threats to coerce them, controlling their earnings and leaving them with as little as £10 a day. The investigation by West Yorkshire Police began in 2016 after one victim bravely came forward. Although Tambac and Iova fled the UK in 2018, they were located in Amsterdam, extradited, and convicted in July.
Tambac was jailed for nine years, and Iova for eight. Det Supt Helen Steele praised the victims' courage, stating she hoped the sentences would offer them comfort as they rebuild their lives after being sexually and financially exploited.