A couple from Edineț were sentenced to 18 years in prison for child trafficking and illegal drug trafficking.

According to the General Prosecutor’s Office, in 2022, the two defendants, a 26-year-old woman and her 33-year-old male partner, recruited and provided lodging to a minor girl who they promised to pay 100-200 lei a day for work at an apple orchard.

Sometime later, they claimed the girl owed them 12,000 lei and forced her to provide sexual services. They would take her to different customers and collect the money. While the girl’s age is not released, it can be deduced from the sentence that she was under 16 at the time of the crimes.

At one point, the girl tried to run away, but was caught. Eventually she managed to escape.

In the same case, a 75-year-old man, a habitual customer, was found guilty of knowingly having sex with a minor and of exploiting a victim of human trafficking. He was given 4 years’ probation instead of a custodial sentence.

The sentences may be appealed within 15 days at the Bălți Appeal Court.