Three men who forced 16 trafficked women into prostitution JAILED, while fourth gang member walks FREE with suspended sentence

Published 30 October 2026, 15:05

• Three gang members fled abroad to 'evade justice' but were hauled back
• George Filip, 45, got eight years and two months, while gang member Ionela Filip, 34, walked free with a suspended sentence.
• Bank records showed the ring raked in 'huge amounts of cash' from brothels in Newport, Birmingham and Scotland since 2015.

A gang that trafficked 16 vulnerable women into Britain and forced them to work in brothels across Newport, Birmingham and Scotland was jailed for a combined 13 years and three months at Cardiff Crown Court on 30 October.

George Filip, 45, of no fixed address, received eight years and two months; Leonard Banica, 41, of Romania, three years and nine months; and Alexandru Moco, 27, of Birmingham, 15 months.

Ionela Filip, 34, of Smethwick, who helped run the ring, walked free with a suspended sentence.

All four had fled abroad after police executed warrants in Newport in 2020 but were returned through international cooperation, according to gwent.police.uk.

Detective Superintendent Robin Fuller said bank records showed the group was "making huge amounts of cash from the illegal business they'd been running since 2015," and that they "initially denied being involved in any criminal activity but with the strength of evidence... they pleaded guilty."