Romanian mafia

The Romanian mafia or Romanian organized crime (Romanian: Mafia Românească), known in Romania as "Clanuri Interlope", is the category of organized crime groups whose members are citizens of Romania or living abroad in the Romanian diaspora.
In recent years they have expanded their criminal activities in the European Union, reads a Europol report on EU organized crime, being active mostly in Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom. The Romanian Mafia is composed of several major organized groups, which in turn have wider networks throughout Europe and have even reached as far as North and Central America.
Including major heists and some of the biggest scams in history, the Romanian mafia is known worldwide for ATM-skimmings as well as pimping and drug trafficking. Gangs are organized horizontally, the leader of a group being called 'Nașu' which means "Godfather" in Romanian. Criminal groups in Romania have codes of silence and also marked Mafia tattoos and deep connections into politics.
Police in Australia who have dealt with a violent wave of Romanian gangs said that "The Romanians are one of the hardest criminal enterprises to crack due to the fact that they usually only deal with other Romanians and can be extremely violent when needed. Romanian Mafia gangs in the Americas are different than those in the EU, where in the Americas the Romanian mafia has built a very lucrative pact with the Sinaloa Cartel".
During the communist regime of Nicolae Ceaușescu, Romania was a totalitarian state, and organized crime was largely controlled by the government. However, the repressive system and the lack of economic and political freedoms created an environment conducive to low-level criminal activities, such as smuggling and corruption, often fueled by informal networks of interests that were, in some ways, connected to the regime.
After the fall of the communist regime in 1989 and the execution of Ceaușescu, Romania went through a difficult transition to democracy and a market economy. This period was marked by political and economic instability, which resulted in a significant increase in corruption and organized crime. Former informal crime networks evolved into more sophisticated and structured organizations with international connections, particularly to countries in the European Union, such as Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom.
In the early 1990s, the Romanian mafia began to stand out, especially in areas such as drug trafficking, human trafficking, and extortion. Social instability and the pursuit of easy money provided fertile ground for the growth of these criminal organizations. They began operating not only within Romania but also expanded their activities abroad, largely due to the flow of Romanian emigrants seeking opportunities in other European countries.
The true rise of the Romanian mafia as an international phenomenon occurred after Romania's accession to the European Union in 2007. This allowed for the free movement of people within the EU, which facilitated the expansion of Romanian criminal networks to other countries. One of the main crimes associated with these organizations abroad was human trafficking, with women and children trafficked for prostitution and forced labor, often under false promises of a better life.
In addition to trafficking, Romanian mafia groups have been heavily involved in various forms of financial crime, including identity theft, credit card fraud, and ATM manipulation. Their operations are often sophisticated, relying on advanced technology to carry out these crimes efficiently. This has made it difficult for authorities to fully track and dismantle these networks.
According to an investigator from the Romania's Organized Crime Combating Brigade (BCCO), Romanian underworld figures are fascinated by the Sicilian Mafia and by films about this world. The Sicilian model that Romanian underworld figures, especially the older ones, have copied is that of the Cosa Nostra boss Salvatore Lo Piccolo, which, when arrested in 2007, had on him a list of the Ten Commandments, the rules of Cosa Nostra members.
In addition to this, the Romanian mafia also created its own rules:
One of the most notorious aspects of the Romanian mafia in Italy is its involvement in human trafficking. Many women and children from Romania are trafficked into Italy, often subjected to sexual exploitation and forced into prostitution. These criminal networks play a significant role in the trafficking of women and minors into highly exploitative conditions.The Romanian mafia is also heavily involved in drug trafficking. Italy is a key point in the global drug trade, and Romanian groups act as intermediaries in the distribution of substances such as cocaine and heroin. They have established networks within Italy, working alongside other Italian criminal organizations to control the flow of drugs across the country. Additionally, Romanian crime groups are involved in thefts and robberies. Thefts can range from breaking into homes and cars to stealing valuable goods like jewelry. Robbery is often a major income source for these criminal groups, who use the profits to further fund their operations.
Extortion is another key activity of the Romanian mafia in Italy. They target local businesses and sometimes even other Romanian immigrants, coercing them into paying for "protection." Those who resist or refuse to comply may face violent repercussions, reinforcing the mafia's control over certain territories. Romanian crime groups operates in a decentralized manner in Italy, with various cells or factions working independently, but still maintaining links to one another.
Violence is a common tool used by these groups to intimidate victims, enforce control, and establish dominance over certain areas. While they may not have the same level of public visibility or political influence as some of Italy's other criminal organizations, Romanian mafia groups still collaborate with other criminal entities, particularly when it comes to drug trafficking and sexual exploitation. The Italian authorities have made efforts to crack down on the Romanian mafia in recent years, launching more investigations and carrying out numerous arrests.
In Italy, most of the Romanian criminals are involved in theft and pimping, however, in Turin, they created an Italian-style mafia within their local community, extorting money from Romanian night-clubs that ran prostitutes, and would impose their own businesses and singers on weddings by force.
Also in Turin, Romanian criminals created the 'Brigada Oarza' group, specialized in extortion, robbery and drug trafficking. In 2014, 15 members of the Brigada Oarza were convicted of mafia affiliation, being sentenced up to 15 years in prison. It was the first Italian sentence that condemned a group of Romanian people for mafia-style criminal association. The leader of the Brigada Oarza was allegedly the former professional boxer Viorel Lovu.
The Romanian mafia in Spain has a significant presence and wields considerable power, particularly in illegal activities such as human trafficking, forced prostitution, drug trafficking, and extortion. The influence of Romanian criminal organizations is highlighted by their ability to operate on a large scale, often infiltrating various layers of Spanish society. A clear example of this is Ioan Clămparu, one of the most feared criminals, who led one of Europe's largest prostitution networks, involving women trafficked from Romania and Moldova, marking them with barcodes indicating their market value.
Additionally, Clămparu's network and other Romanian factions managed to establish themselves in several Spanish cities, particularly in Madrid, where they controlled specific areas like the Casa de Campo park, from which women forced into prostitution generated substantial profits. Romanian criminal organizations also demonstrate significant infiltration into power structures, even manipulating legal and police processes by using financial resources from their illegal activities to protect their interests and avoid investigations.
The Romanian mafia in Spain is characterized by extreme violence and strict discipline within the their organization, along with an international trafficking network that spans several European countries. Collaboration between criminal factions and powerful figures, such as Nicu Gheară and others, strengthens the power of these organizations, making them difficult to fully eradicate. Thus, the Romanian mafia in Spain maintains a substantial influence in the criminal underworld and is seen as an increasing threat to local authorities.
Romanian mafia groups in the United Kingdom are involved in a range of illegal activities, including human trafficking, sexual exploitation, drug trafficking, financial fraud, and people smuggling. Human trafficking, in particular, is a major crime associated with these organizations. These groups use both legal and illegal methods to control their victims and evade detection, often operating through complex networks.
In addition to human trafficking, the Romanian mafia in the UK is heavily involved in various forms of financial crime, including identity theft, credit card fraud, and ATM manipulation. Their operations are often sophisticated, relying on advanced technology to carry out these crimes efficiently. This has made it difficult for authorities to fully track and dismantle these networks.While the Romanian mafia is not as overtly violent as some other criminal organizations, they are known for using intimidation and violence to maintain control over their operations and victims. They operate under a strict code of silence, and when necessary, resort to extreme measures to eliminate rivals.
The Daily Mail first reported Romanian mafia activities in tourist areas of the southeastern state of Quintana Roo in September 2015. The article said that USD $5 million were being stolen via cloned bank cards every month in Cancún, Playa del Carmen, Tulum, and Cozumel, and that the organization had stolen information of 32,000 people. In June 2020, the non-profit organization Mexicanos Contra la Corrupción y la Impunidad ("Mexicans against Corruption and Impunity", MCCI), together with the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), presented an investigation that demonstrated the Romanian mafia had actually reached Mexico in March 2014 and had spread to other states including Jalisco and Guanajuato. Starting in 2014, the group had a contract to install ATMs in banks in tourist areas, and by mid-2019, it had stolen $1.2 billion. Romanian businessman Florian Tudor (El Tiburón or "The Shark") was arrested in Quintana Roo in 2019 but released a few hours later for a lack of evidence. Tudor denied his culpability and implicated Constantin Marcu instead. Marcu, a known extortioner, was killed during a supposed kidnapping attempt of Tudor's cousin in 2018. In February 2021, scores of Romanian citizens were arrested at the Cancún airport and, days later, 136 were allowed into the country and four were deported because there was a travel alert against them. The next day, Santiago Nieto, head of Mexico's Financial Intelligence Unit (UIF), announced that 79 accounts of Mexicans and Romanians had been frozen for cloning credit and debit cards. Prominent Mexican business and political leaders were included in the list. Mexican and Venezuelan hackers were also implicated. The Ecologist Green Party of Mexico (PVEM) removed its legislative leader in Quintana Roo, José de la Peña Ruiz de Chávez, for his relationship with the mafia on February 10, 2021.
Human trafficking is one of the most significant criminal activities of the Romanian mafia. The organization often operates networks that traffick men, women, and children for purposes such as forced labor, sexual exploitation (including prostitution), and servitude. They recruit individuals, particularly women and minors, from Romania and other Eastern European countries, in particular Moldova, promising them jobs or better lives in Western Europe, only to exploit them upon arrival. The Romanian mafia is notorious for being one of the largest players in the European human trafficking trade.
Drug trafficking is a key part of the operations of Romanian crime groups. They are heavily involved in the trafficking of various substances, especially cocaine, heroin, and synthetic drugs. Romania, due to its proximity to the Balkans, serves as a major transit point into Europe. The Romanian mafia controls or collaborates with other transnational groups such as the 'Ndrangheta to distribute narcotics throughout Europe.
While human trafficking for sexual exploitation is the most widely recognized crime, Romanian mafia groups are also involved in running prostitution rings. They may organize brothels or escort services, forcing women into prostitution and taking a significant cut of the profits. This exploitation is often tied to their human trafficking networks.
The Romanian mafia also has involvement in illegal gambling operations. This can include underground casinos, betting rings, or other forms of illicit gambling. They may also run loan sharking operations, offering money to those in need at exorbitant interest rates, often leading to cycles of debt and further exploitation.
The Romanian mafia has long been involved in large-scale theft and burglary operations. This includes high-value target thefts like jewelry, electronics, and art, as well as more everyday crimes like car thefts. One of the more notable forms of theft in which they engage is organized shoplifting and burglaries carried out by well-coordinated criminal groups. These stolen goods are often moved through black market channels, providing significant profits for the organization.
The following criminal groups are considered the most powerful of the city of Bucharest: