Members of a Romanian grooming gang have been jailed for raping and sexually exploiting 10 vulnerable women in Dundee.

Four men and one woman were found guilty in January of dozens of offences – including rape – following an investigation into sexual exploitation, human trafficking, and the supply of drugs in the Tayside area.

The gang plied their victims with drugs, including crack cocaine, at various properties between June 2021 and September 2022.

Some of those that were preyed upon became addicted to the illicit substances, leading them to be blackmailed into sex.

Mircea Marian Cumpanasoiu, 38, Remus Stan, 35, Catalin Dobre, 45, Cristian Urlateanu, 41, and Alexandra Bugonea, 35, denied any wrongdoing but were convicted following a trial at the High Court in Glasgow.

Judge Lord Scott said much of the gang “deflected, minimised, denied and lied” about their offending.

He told them: “It may be that you thought that no one cared for your victims, meaning you could do whatever you wanted to them without consequence. If so, events have proved you wrong.

“Each of the women who gave evidence against you found the strength to do so despite their difficulties.”

The judge said the women had taken “significant steps” to move on from that stage in their lives.

He added: “I commend them for having taken back control of their lives to the extent that they’ve been able to do that and for being able to testify about the abuse they suffered at your hands.”

Returning to the dock on Monday, ringleader Cumpanasoiu was handed a 24-year extended sentence, with 20 years in jail and four years on licence once released back into the community.

Stan was sentenced to 12 years in jail; Dobre was sentenced to 10 years in jail; Urlateanu was handed a 20-year extended sentence, with 18 years in jail and two years on licence; and Bugonea was sentenced to eight years in jail.

Lord Scott told the gang it would be a matter for the Home Office, but it was likely they would be deported on the completion of their sentences.

‘The criminals were prowling the streets of Dundee’

Speaking to Sky News, the boss of a charity that aims to tackle modern slavery said the case was “particularly shocking” as the victims were “handpicked because of their vulnerabilities”.

James Clarry, chief executive of Justice and Care, added: “The criminals were prowling the streets of Dundee looking for women who matched the conditions that they knew would make them particularly vulnerable, and then off the back of that, exploited them sexually on a sustained and brutal basis.”

Detective Inspector Scott Carswell called the offenders “deplorable”.

He told Sky News the gang supplied the women with alcohol and free Class A drugs at parties, before coercing them into sexual activity, “which a lot of them didn’t want to do”.

“They were so addicted to the drugs that they knew the only way they could get the drugs was to perform the sexual acts that they were having to get involved in,” he said.

DI Carswell said the gang got the women addicted in a bid to control them and keep them coming back for more.

He added: “They’ve had no thought as to the impact this is having on the victims. It’s been quite controlled in that they knew what they were doing.”

Police Scotland said the offenders were arrested and charged as part of Operation Recloir, launched in late 2021 to target a gang of suspected human traffickers in the Tayside area.

Officers uncovered evidence of serious sexual offending, prostitution, drugs supply and trafficking during their enquiries.

‘Groomed and used’

DI Carswell said the inquiry initially focused on brothel-keeping in Dundee and the suspected trafficking of Romanian women into the country.

“However, into the summer of 2022 we started to receive information that the crime group were targeting vulnerable Dundee females,” he added.

“And it looked like they were grooming them and coercing them with gifts of free drugs and other things until it moved on to the victims having to get involved in sexual activity to get the free drugs.

“Unfortunately, this got them addicted to the Class A drugs that had been provided.”

DI Carswell said many of the victims believed they were the girlfriends of the men involved and did not realise they were being “groomed and used”.

He said the women were looking to be “cared for”, noting: “I believe that the end goal here was to groom the females and possibly move them into prostitution.”

Following the arrest of suspects Cumpanasoiu and Stan, their co-accused Urlateanu and Bugonea were located in Belgium and extradited.

Dobre was traced in the Czech Republic and brought back to Scotland for the trial, which lasted six weeks.

‘Smirking, winking pimp’

The offences took place at various locations in Dundee, including properties on Bright Street, Gellatly Street and Perth Road.

Cumpanasoiu, also known as “Mario”, was described in court as a “smirking, winking pimp” who funded his lifestyle and drug habit from prostitution.

He was found guilty of 15 charges, including running brothels and 10 counts of rape.

In addition, he also supplied drugs to multiple women and was involved in sexual coercion.

The court heard how Cumpanasoiu trafficked one vulnerable woman into prostitution by convincing her she stood to make large sums of money.

The brothel-keeper then advertised her services online and drove her to meet clients before taking a portion of her earnings.

Cumpanasoiu earlier pleaded guilty to a further three charges – attempting to pervert the course of justice, knowingly living off the earnings of prostitution and possession of a knife.

Urlateanu was found guilty of nine charges, including rape, assault, living off the earnings of prostitution and the supply of cocaine.

At the time of the offending, he lived with his partner and co-accused Bugonea, who was working as a sex worker.

The court heard how he used the money given to him by Bugonea to fund his crack cocaine habit and pay household bills.

One victim told the trial how she was lured to a flat in Bright Street where she described there being an unlimited supply of crack cocaine and whisky.

Games such as spin the bottle and truth or dare were often played, where clothing was removed while Urlateanu asked questions of a sexual nature.

He went on to forcibly rape the woman in a bedroom.

Urlateanu and Bugonea were also both found guilty of raping the same woman together on various occasions at the flat.

Stan was found guilty of eight charges, including trafficking a woman into prostitution with his co-accused Cumpanasoiu.

The predator supplied the victim with drugs and decided what prices she should charge clients all while making her think he was her boyfriend.

He was convicted of raping the woman on several occasions, including one incident where he attacked her alongside Cumpanasoiu.

Stan was additionally found guilty of raping a further two women.

Dobre, also known as “Luigi”, was found guilty of five charges, including the gang rape of one woman alongside Urlateanu and Stan.

He was further convicted of attempted rape, sexual coercion and sexual assault.

Bugonea, was convicted of five charges. This included providing drugs to multiple women, sexual coercion, rape and sexual assault by penetration.

In addition to the jail sentences, the gang were also placed on the sex offenders’ register indefinitely.

Stan was separately handed a five-year Trafficking and Exploitation Prevention Order (TEPO).

Fiona Kirkby, procurator fiscal for high court sexual offences, said: “This gang ruthlessly exploited vulnerable women for their own gain, without any regard for the suffering and trauma they caused.

“Urlateanu, Bugonea and Dobre’s attempts to escape justice by fleeing abroad failed when police found and returned them to Scotland to await trial.”

Ms Kirby branded the crimes “reprehensible” as she praised the courage of the victims in speaking out.

She added: “Thanks to their bravery, and the support given to them by charity organisations and justice partners, this prosecution was made possible, ensuring other women and girls are protected from these offenders.”

A 32-year-old man has been arrested after a woman was raped in Walsall in a suspected racially aggravated attack.

West Midlands Police said the man was detained early on Monday morning in the Perry Barr area of the town.

The arrest comes after an urgent appeal by police over the weekend, following the alleged incident on Saturday night.

Officers were called to the Park Hall area of Walsall just after 7.15pm after a woman was seen in distress in the street.

The force said the woman, in her 20s, had been raped and assaulted at a nearby property by a man she did not know.

It said the incident was being treated as “racially aggravated”.

Detective Superintendent Ronan Tyrer, of West Midlands Police, said: “This is a significant development in our investigation, and I’d like to thank everyone who has come forward with information following our appeal last night.

“Our investigation will progress today, and, as always our priority is the woman who was the subject of this attack.

“She has been updated this morning and will continue to receive full support from specially trained officers.”

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Preet Kaur Gill, the Labour (Co-op) MP for Birmingham Edgbaston, posted on X to say she was “deeply shocked and saddened” to hear of another racially aggravated rape.

Last month, a Sikh woman was raped in grassland in Tame Road, Oldbury, in an incident also treated as racially aggravated by police.

British commentator Sami Hamdi has been detained by US immigration, who have revoked his visa and banned him from completing his speaking tour, a Homeland Security official said.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has Mr Hamdi in custody, DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin posted on X.

“Under President Trump, those who support terrorism and undermine American national security will not be allowed to work or visit this country,” she wrote.

“This individual’s visa was revoked and he is in ICE custody pending removal.”

Mr Hamdi spoke at a gala for the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) in Sacramento, California on Saturday and was scheduled to speak on Sunday at one of the group’s events in Florida, the organisation said in a statement.

CAIR said he was detained at San Francisco International Airport.

Conservative figures had been urging the Trump administration to expel Hamdi from the US.

Mr Hamdi, who is managing director of the International Interest, a global risk and intelligence company, has appeared as an analyst and commentator on British TV networks including Sky News.

CAIR called for his release and accused the Trump administration of detaining him over his criticism of the Israeli government.

CAIR’s deputy director, Edward Ahmed Mitchell, said Hamdi had previously denied supporting Islamic militants.

“Abducting a prominent British Muslim journalist and political commentator on a speaking tour in the United States because he dared to criticise the Israeli government’s genocide is a blatant affront to free speech,” CAIR said in a statement.

A Foreign Office spokesperson said: “We are in contact with the family of a British man detained in the USA and are in touch with the local authorities.”

Since January, the Trump administration has pursued a sweeping crackdown on immigration, including increasing social media vetting, revoking visas for people it claims praised the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, and deporting student visa and green card holders who have voiced support for Palestinians and criticised Israel’s conduct in the Gaza war.

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