A further six potential victims have been identified in a suspected human trafficking and prostitution racket operated in the Greater Belfast area, the High Court heard on Monday.
Detectives want to speak to them as part of an international investigation involving claims another woman was lured to Northern Ireland from Romania with the bogus promise of a job with Amazon.
Details emerged as bail was granted to two men and a woman allegedly linked to the organised crime scheme.
Petru Balogh (26) his 35-year-old girlfriend Flortina Ciurar, both of Hugh Street in Belfast, and Ioan Mihai (29) from Coombe Hill Park in the city, all deny charges of controlling prostitution for gain, brothel keeping and money laundering offences.
The investigation began in June last year after a woman informed police she had fled from Balogh and Ciurar.
Prosecution counsel Connel Trainor said: “She indicated that she was enticed from Romania under the pretence of getting employment at an Amazon warehouse, but when she arrived she was told that she would be working as a prostitute.”
Balogh allegedly paid for her flight, collected her from the airport and brought her to an address in south Belfast where she was informed that she would have to carry out sex work to repay her debt.
Along with Ciurar, he told the woman she could earn a lot of money and that they would help with adverts and setting up clients, the court heard.
“She was shown the bedroom where she would do the work and said she observed boxes of condoms and wipes,” Mr Trainor submitted.
Police mounted a surveillance operation and attended the property, where two other suspected prostitutes were located.
Balogh had also allegedly paid for them to travel to Northern Ireland.
Financial inquiries revealed that large sums of money had passed through a bank account said to be linked to Ciurar and controlled by her partner, according to the prosecutor.
It was claimed that they had also paid for several adverts on adult websites.
The court heard Mihai is allegedly connected by money transferred from Balogh on the same date he took out a tenancy on a second suspected brothel in the Newtownabbey area.
When police attended that address Mihai was present with two Romanian prostitutes.
He claimed, however, that he was only there as a “sex buyer”.
Counsel argued that a total of £45,000 believed to be the proceeds of prostitution as passed through Mihai’s account.
Opposing the three defendants’ bail applications, Mr Trainor stressed they are all Romanian nationals who police fear could either flee or interfere with the investigation.”
He added: “A number of other victims have been identified. I’m told there are six, they currently reside in Romania and require to be spoken to.”
Counsel for Ciurar, Sean O’Hare, suggested that she may also be a potential victim because she had no control over her bank accounts and had been involved as a sex worker.
Joel Lindsay, representing Balogh, argued that his client provided police with a full explanation and has no trappings of wealth.
“He drives a car which is worth about £700 to his work (at a bakery),” Mr Lindsay said.
Mihai’s barrister, Joe Brolly, insisted he had no contact with the woman who first alerted police.
“She has never made a complaint against him and he has nothing to do with that allegation of sex trafficking,” Mr Brolly said.
Granting bail to the three accused, Mr Justice Scoffield acknowledged that they now have family ties in Northern Ireland.
He ordered them to lodge cash sureties, live at approved addresses under curfew and surrender any passports.
The judge directed: “They will not be allowed to leave Northern Ireland without the permission of police.”