Masked police in Romania conducted new raids early Wednesday at the residence of controversial internet figure Andrew Tate, who is currently awaiting trial on serious charges that include human trafficking, rape, and forming a criminal organization to exploit women sexually.
Romania’s anti-organized crime agency, DIICOT, announced that it was executing searches at four locations in Bucharest and the surrounding Ilfov County as part of an investigation into allegations linked to human trafficking, including the trafficking of minors and sexual relations involving minors, as well as potential money laundering and misconduct related to testimony. The agency indicated that hearings would be conducted later at its headquarters.
Tate’s spokesperson, Mateea Petrescu, remarked that the nature of the charges in the search warrant is still being clarified but includes suspicions regarding human trafficking and money laundering. She did not discuss specifics surrounding the allegations involving minors, but assured that his legal team is involved.
Numerous police officers and forensic experts were working across Tate’s extensive property located on the outskirts of Bucharest. DIICOT emphasized in its statement that throughout the ongoing criminal process, those being investigated are entitled to legal rights and protections as laid out in the Code of Criminal Procedure, along with the presumption of innocence.
Andrew Tate, 37, and his brother Tristan, 36, both former kickboxing champions and dual British-U.S. citizens with millions of followers on social media, were apprehended in 2022 near Bucharest, alongside two Romanian women. Romanian prosecutors officially charged all four last year, and they have consistently denied the allegations against them.
Petrescu confirmed on Wednesday that the Tate brothers had been detained for 24 hours, which is the maximum time allowed by DIICOT without a judge’s approval to extend their detention. She stated that no such proposal from the prosecution had yet been made.
As the brothers were escorted from their residence into a police vehicle, Andrew Tate expressed frustration to the media regarding the slow pace of the proceedings, questioning, “What I’ve done wrong, who knows?”
Andrew Tate has gained notoriety for his misogynistic views expressed online, garnering 9.9 million followers on the social media platform X. He has frequently asserted that there is no evidence against him and claims he is the target of a political conspiracy aimed at silencing him. He has faced bans from several social media platforms due to his controversial statements.
In April, the Bucharest Tribunal found that the evidence presented by prosecutors against all four defendants was sufficient to merit a trial, although no date has been set. This ruling followed an extensive period of preliminary deliberations during which the defendants were able to contest the prosecution’s evidence.
Following their 2022 arrest, the Tate brothers initially spent three months in police detention before being placed under house arrest. Their movement has since been restricted to the Bucharest and Ilfov regions, and later to the entirety of Romania.
Recently, a court overturned a prior decision that had permitted the Tate brothers to leave Romania while awaiting trial, ruling instead that they could not exit the country despite a previous allowance to travel within the European Union.
In March, the Tate brothers appeared in a separate case at the Bucharest Court of Appeal due to British-issued arrest warrants related to allegations of sexual aggression stemming from incidents in the U.K. between 2012 and 2015. The appeal court approved the extradition request from British authorities, but stipulated that it would only occur after the legal matters in Romania have been resolved.