Group involved in human trafficking ring in Norwich jailed
The five people were sentenced to total of more than 10 years
Three men and two women who admitted being involved in an international human trafficking ring in Norwich have been jailed.
The group appeared at Norwich Crown Court on Thursday 16th February after pleading guilty to offences relating to trafficking and the exploitation of women from Hungary.
Attila Lakatos, 44, and Katalin Bogdan, 33, both of Salhouse Road, pleaded guilty to arranging of facilitating the travel of an individual for exploitation under Section 2 of the Modern Slavery Act.
Meanwhile, Peter Lasxlo, 35, and Livia Rezmuves, 25, both of Vera Road, and Csilla Varga, 35 and of Salhouse Road, all admitted the offence of participating in the activities of an organised crime group.
Police investigation
It follows a police investigation, codenamed Operation Derail, that was launched in September 2021 after safeguarding visits were made by officers, along with support workers, to several addresses in Norwich with the aim of protecting vulnerable sex workers identified in online adverts.
The investigation uncovered a pattern of flights between the UK and Hungary and the posting of adverts to a website online offering sexual services at addresses. Officers raided a home on Salhouse Road in December 2021 where Lakatos, Bogdan and Varga were all arrested. The following day a second raid took place at house in Vera Road where Laszlo and Rezmuves were arrested.
Following the raids, several devices were seized along with handwritten notes, which were like the type of material being posted in online ads for sexual services.
Examination of the Lakatos and Bogdan’s mobile phone and bank accounts, showed they’d paid for flights and online adverts while Lakatos had received payments of more than £6,800.
Enquiries revealed that Varga, Laszlo, and Rezmuves had also been involved in booked flights and adverts.
The defendants received the following sentences:
• Katalin Bogdan sentenced to three years and four months
• Attila Lakatos, sentenced to three years and four months
• Livia Rezmuves, sentenced to 15 months
• Peter Laszlo, sentenced to 15 months
• Csilla Varga, sentenced to 20 months
Detective Sergeant Carl Carter, from Norfolk Police’s Serious Crime Disruption Team, said: “We’re pleased this case has come to a successful conclusion and that prison sentences have been delivered.
“As this investigation shows, regional boundaries are no barrier for police forces working with partner agencies here in the UK and abroad to tackle this type of criminality. We will deal with offenders and seek to protect vulnerable victims who exploited.”