The Moldovan police has revealed and curbed the activity of Moldo-Turkish traffickers who have earned over a million U.S. dollars on selling white slaves from Moldova.

According to the Ministry of the Interior, the network was headed by Mustafa Estimez, a Turkish citizen, and consisted of 3 branches named the Central, Gypsy, and Gagauzian groups which worked fairly actively in central and southern Moldova in 2001-2004.

By now, at least 20 trafficking victims from Moldova have been established. They were exploited at brothels in Turkey owed by the above-mentioned gentleman. At hunting for would-be white slaves, the traffickers usually promised to young Moldovan girls from poor families that they would be working as dancers at Turkish nightclubs.

The local police have established the personalities of all network members, and detained 7 of them, including Mustafa Estimez. Ten criminal cases have been initiated against them. Some of the persons may spend the rest of their lives in custody.

This year alone, Moldovan police has registered 87 instances of trafficking in women and 25 cases of trafficking in children.