Paris court sentences Hamidović clan leader for human trafficking

A Paris court has sentenced Roberto Hamidović, leader of a crime syndicate of Bosnian-origin Roma descent, to eight years in prison and a 500,000 euro fine for human trafficking and organized crime.

The Hamidović clan operated an international pickpocketing network, primarily using young children and girls to target tourists in the Paris metro and Disneyland. Investigators estimated the group generated up to 25,000 euros daily. While adult members lived in luxury, using designer clothing and five-star hotels, the children were housed in squalor and subjected to physical and sexual abuse if they failed to meet financial quotas.

Seven members of the clan, including Hamidović’s wife Lejla, received prison sentences ranging from five to eight years, along with significant fines. All defendants denied the charges, which included money laundering and criminal association. Following their sentences, all convicted members face extradition and a permanent ban from entering France.