The members of a child-trafficking group have been sentenced by the Cahul Court of Appeals to long terms in prison. The Supreme Court has recently upheld the sentence, rejecting the appeal of the accused and making the judgment final, Info-Prim Neo reports, citing the press unit of the General Prosecutor's Office. The boss of the group, a Turkish national, was sentenced to 23 years' imprisonment on charges of trafficking in children and human beings. In addition he was fined 45,000 lei. Another member of the gang was sentenced to 21 years in jail on charges of trafficking in humans, trafficking in children, fabrication, possession, and sale or use of false seals and stamps. A third female member of the group also got 21 year in prison, plus a fine of 60,000 lei. Three other offenders are to pay fines ranging from 20,000 to 30,000 lei. According to the prosecutors, from 2000 through 2004 the Turkish citizen set up and led a large-scale network of traffickers linking three countries – Moldova, Ukraine and Turkey. They were gathering information about the potential victims, recruiting them, counterfeiting papers for them and transporting the victims from Moldova to Ukraine and Turkey. Upon reaching the destination, the victims were sold by the boss for sexual purposes. A total of 16 young women, 8 of whom underaged, were sold abroad by the gang.