A MAN is due to appear in court today (October 9) as part of a month-long operation targeting human trafficking and modern slavery in Essex.
Unemployed Gheorge Negreanu, 24, of Wycke Hill, Maldon was arrested on Tuesday when police were called to the address.
He has since been charged with intentionally facilitating travel of a person with view to their sexual exploitation, managing a brothel used for prostitution and controlling prostitution for gain.
Negreanu is due before Chelmsford Magistrates' Court this morning.
The charges come as part of an nationwide crackdown running throughout October on crime linked to trafficking including prostitution, forced labour, abuse and exploitation.
Two people have also been arrested in as part of the operation.
On Wednesday last week (October 1) two men, a 21-year-old and a 38-year-old, were arrested on suspicion of immigration offences and referred to the UK Border Agency after being found picking oysters on Southend beach.
Detective Chief Inspector Stuart Hooper said: "Essex has a number of ports of entry into the country. As well as Tilbury we also have Harwich Port, Stansted Airport, Southend Airport, and London Gateway which all provide means of entry into Essex and the UK which could be exploited by traffickers.
"Modern slavery goes beyond just the trafficking of people, it is also about their exploitation. Prostitution, forced labour, servitude and even the removal of vital organs for sale on the black-market are all forms of abuse that make up modern slavery."
