Romanian Human Trafficker Sentenced to 30 Years

Published: 24 February 2012

By

Ioan Clamparu, 42, an alleged Romanian human trafficker known as “Pigs’ Head,” was sentenced to 30 years in prison by a court in Madrid, Spain, on Tuesday. Clamparu was one of the 450 fugitives targeted by the Interpol’s operation “Infra-Red,” aimed at locating and arresting international fugitives charged with serious crimes such as murder, child abuse, human trafficking, and money laundering.

According to the Interpol’s arrest warrant (PDF), Clamparu was accused of leading a human trafficking network which forced more than 100 Romanian women into prostitution in Spain between 2000 and 2004. The Romanian women and underage girls were lured with promises of legitimate jobs, such as cleaning and waitressing. Clamparu and his associates paid for the women’s travel expenses, presenting their help as a loan that the victims would pay back from their wages once they started their new “jobs.” Upon their arrival to Spain, the victims were forced into prostitution.

Clamparu was arrested in Spain in October 2011, after evading Spanish and international authorities for years. According to a press statement by the Interpol, Clamparu’s arrest is the result of close cooperation between the Interpol bureaus in Romania and Spain and the Fugitive Investigative Support (FIS) at the Interpol’s headquarters in Lyon, France.

Clamparu has been on the run since 2004, when Romania issued an international arrest warrant for him. Clamparu was already sentenced to 13 years in prison in Romania for human and drugs trafficking. Back in 1989, Clamparu was also sentenced to 15 years in prison for murder. For more information on Clamparu, please read his profile by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project.

The Assistant Director of INTERPOL’s Fugitive Investigative Support unit Stefano Carvelli said that “the arrest of Clamparu after years on the run is testimony to the dedication and tenacity of the law enforcement officers of all our member countries involved.”

In addition to charges of human trafficking and forced prostitution, Clamparu was also found guilty of forcing one of the victims to have an abortion. He was ordered by the court to pay three protected witnesses € 12,020 (US$15,916) each, as well as to pay € 30,506 (US$ 40,390) in restitution to an underage victim.

Clamparu will remain in custody in Madrid, as he awaits an extradition hearing that could send him back to Romania.