A Moldovan man, who is said to be a member of the criminal organization "Patron", was detained for blackmailing a Moldovan citizen running a business in France into paying an alleged debt of €9,000, IPN reports.
Officers of the National Investigation Inspectorate's Organized Crime Combating Division said that the blackmail began in May 2024. The accused, who is from Călărași, contacted the man, including through video calls, and threatened him with kidnapping, killing, including him and his loved ones, or destruction of his property.
To be more convincing, the suspect was making video calls with a member of the same criminal organization, who is called a "sportsman" and is wanted for blackmail.
Following a complaint filed by the Moldovan in France, the police carried out searches at the home of the author of the blackmail, whom they detained.
The Prosecutor's Office for Organized Crime and Special Cases requested the Court of Chisinau to place the accused in preventive detention.
The defendant was previously convicted by the Straseni Court for rape and drunk driving without a driving license. The judgment was yet appealed to the Court of Appeals and a final sentence has not been pronounced.
The organization led by the criminal Ivan Gușan, known as "Nicu Patron", is involved in cigarette smuggling, blackmail and contract killings.
