Family of Three Jailed for Trafficking Woman and Forcing Her into Prostitution
Three members of the same Romanian family who trafficked a vulnerable 20-year-old woman to the UK and forced her into prostitution for three years have been slammed behind bars for a total of 24 years. The Mihai family – Constantin Aurel Mihai, 37, Valentina Mihai, 37, and Catalin Marian Mihai, 32 – all from Targoviste, Romania, were convicted for human trafficking, controlling prostitution, and money laundering.
Harrowing Ordeal of Forced Prostitution
Back in January 2012, the victim was “purchased” for €10,000 by Constantin and Valentina Mihai. She was taken from Romania against her will to Ilford, East London, where she was forced to work as a prostitute. Her identity documents were stolen, and she endured regular beatings from Constantin.
To keep her compliant, the victim was fed alcohol and cocaine. When Constantin returned to Romania, Valentina took control, monitoring the victim’s every move through a phone linked to their iCloud accounts. The woman was cut off from her family, pressured to tell them she never wanted to see them again.
A Daring Escape and Police Sting
After three years of abuse, violence, and substance dependency, the victim managed to secretly save enough money to buy a plane ticket to Hungary, where she had family ties. She fled the UK in April 2015, cleverly leaving her phone with a taxi driver to throw her captors off the scent.
The Met’s Kidnap and Modern Slavery Unit launched an investigation in November 2015 after a tip-off from Romanian police. Working with international partners, they uncovered the Mihai family’s sprawling prostitution network funneling cash through money service bureaux and couriers.
Justice Served
In October 2017, Constantin and Valentina were arrested at their home in Targoviste under a European Arrest Warrant, with Catalin caught at a separate property. All three were extradited to the UK and stood trial at Southwark Crown Court in April 2018.
DC Alex Snigorski said: “The Mihais are a parasitic family living off the misery and suffering of others. They thought nothing of ‘buying’ women and abusing them for their own financial benefit, funding their love of luxury cars and property.
I would like to pay tribute to the enormous courage and strength of character that the victim in this case has shown throughout the trial.”
The trio were sentenced on 25 May, with Constantin jailed for nine years, Valentina for six years, and Catalin for eight years – a total of 24 years behind bars for their vile crimes.
