SIXTEEN people have been arrested in Romania on suspicion of illegal trafficking people to work in pop-up brothels in Somerset.

The joint-agency operation, which involved the police force in the eastern European country and Zephyr, the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit, was carried out over the course of last week.

As part of the raids, 13 men, aged between 24 and 36 years, three women, aged between 24 and 27 years, were arrested, and £9,000 and €5,500 in cash, cars, tobacco, mobile phones and fake ID's and financial documents were also seized by police.

The raids were carried out in Ploiesti, in the county of Prahava, targeting the organised Romanian gangs, and followed a lengthy investigation by around 100 officers from both countries.

During the operation, more than 40 potential victims were interviewed.

The Zephyr operation began in the UK, when investigations were launched into a serious crime group suspected to be involved in human trafficking offences, which operated “pop-up” brothels across the south west in Avon and Somerset, Devon and Cornwall, Dorset, Gloucester and Wiltshire police force areas.

Enquiries revealed that accommodation had also been arranged in Norwich, Cambridge, Oxford, Essex, London and Cardiff.

DI Tony Hubbard, the senior investigating officer from Zephyr, said: “We want this joint operation across international borders to send out a strong message to those involved in, or considering taking part in this illegal activity.

“We hope to dissuade vulnerable Romanian nationals from being drawn into the sex work industry.

“We have been working closely with partner agencies plus the Romanian authorities to track down and pursue those involved in trafficking individuals for the purpose of sexual exploitation, wherever they operate from and when criminally active in the south west region.

“Not only will we seek to arrest suspects but we will then seek to confiscate their illegal earnings through the Proceeds of Crime Act.

“We also want landlords who provide short term accommodation to be vigilant and make sure their accommodation is not being used as a brothel, which is a criminal offence. Tell-tale signs are requests for paperless transactions, cash payments, multiple occupancy of premises or approaches for rentals/occupancy by two women and a sole man."

Kate Garbers, managing director of Unseen, the award-winning charity which supports survivors of modern slavery and human trafficking, said: “This is a fantastic outcome for the Zephyr, the SW regional organised crime unit, proving that collaboration to tackle this issue is imperative and works.

“Unseen supported police forces across the South West as they visited brothels to identify potentially trafficked people. We welcome this action and the commitment to partnership working."

An initial 24 hour detention has been ordered by the prosecutors of the Directorate for Investigating Organised Crime and Terrorism (Pitesti Territorial Service).

If you are a victim of trafficking, you are urged to contact the police on 101 or anonymously on Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.