Organised Crime Group sentenced for trafficking women for prostitution
Women brought to the UK to work out of locations in Newport, Birmingham and Scotland
Last updated 30th Oct 2026
An Organised Crime Group has been sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court for offences relating to the trafficking of women into the UK and controlling them for prostitution.
George Filip, 45, was the leader of the group, arranging to bring many of the women from Romania. He controlled them as sex-workers, basing them in Newport, Birmingham and Inverness.
Ionela Filip, 35, who was the wife of George Filip, played a key role in controlling the prostitution.
Two other men, Leonard Banica, 41, and Alex Moco, 35, were involved in soliciting victims for sex work and helping to control them.
Police raided two properties in Newport, Gwent, which led to the arrests. They recovered messages from the defendants’ devices which showed the extent of the offending and money laundering.
George Filip and Leonard Banica left the UK before they could be charged but were arrested in Europe and brought back to the country.
Louisa Robertson of the Crown Prosecution Service said: “This group ran a trafficking operation, exploiting women from other European countries.
“Their actions were abhorrent, treating human beings as commodities.
“The full extent of their criminality became apparent from their seized devices, which allowed the Crown Prosecution Service to present strong evidence.
“Although two defendants left the jurisdiction, we worked with international law enforcement agencies to bring them back to the Uk to face justice.
“We hope this gives a strong message that these criminal activities are taken seriously, and borders will not deter us from putting defendants before the courts.”
All defendants were sentenced on 30 October 2026.
• George Filip was sentenced to 8 years and 2 months.
• Ionela Filip was sentenced to 3 years suspended for 3 years
• Leonard Banica was sentenced to 3 years and 9 months.
• Alex Moco was sentenced to 15 months.