DIICOT prosecutors conduct searches in Craiova to a group trafficking migrants in Mexico and the US (sources)

The Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) prosecutors conducted on Thursday several searches within an investigation for destructuring a criminal group made up of Romanian and Mexican citizens, dealing with trafficking migrants in Mexico and the UN, as well as wire fraud with cloned card. 

According to some judicial sources, the group made up of Romanian and Mexican citizens, are operating ever since 2012 on the territory of Romania, Mexico and the US. 

The group is dealing with fraud through information systems and electronic payment means (card cloning), as well as with migrant trafficking on the Romania - Mexico - the US route. 

According to sources, the group was coordinated from Mexico by a Romanian, a man nicknamed "the Shark." He held, through dummies, several specialised companies in purchasing and assembling ATMs on Mexico's soil. The group members were installing "skimming" systems on these ATMs, especially in localities situated at the Mexican seaside and frequented by many foreign tourists, in order to copy the information data contained by the cards introduced in them. The data extracted were then used in order to withdraw money from the ATMs. 

In 2018, an argument intervened between "the Shark" and a member of the group, who had the role to oversee that the criminal activities are being carried out in safe conditions. The latter was stabbed and then shot in Cancun (Mexico) city area.