A Paris court sentenced Roberto Hamidovic, 48, a clan leader of Roma descent with Bosnian origins, to eight years in prison for human trafficking linked to organizing gangs of child pickpockets targeting tourists in the Paris Métro and popular sites such as Disneyland Paris. Seven members of the so-called Hamidovic clan, including four men and three women, were tried on charges including human trafficking, organized theft, corruption of minors, money laundering, and criminal association. Sentences for the others ranged from five to seven years in prison with substantial fines, and all were ordered to be extradited and banned from reentering France once released. All defendants denied the charges.
The court heard that Hamidovic ran a network that exploited mostly girls as young as 10, who were forced to steal an estimated average of €25,000 daily. According to prosecutors, the children faced severe abuse—including beatings, burnings, and sexual violence—if they failed to deliver enough money. Meanwhile, the adult family members reportedly lived lavish lifestyles, spending on designer clothes, luxury hotels, fine dining, and cars, while the children stayed in poor conditions such as budget hotels or dilapidated squats.
The investigation revealed a multigenerational operation, with Roberto Hamidovic assuming leadership after his uncle Fehmi Hamidovic was arrested in 2010 and later sentenced to seven years in prison for similar crimes. Authorities estimate the family’s network was responsible for up to 75% of pickpocket thefts in the Paris Métro at its peak.
Prosecutor Alice Guillet described the network as maintaining impunity by using minors below the age of criminal responsibility, instructing the children to claim they were 12 to avoid prosecution. She characterized the children as “without roots” or a future, frequently lacking proper documentation. Guillet emphasized the cyclical nature of exploitation within the clan, where children forced into theft as minors became exploiters themselves as adults.
A pretrial inquiry identified Hamidovic’s son, Roberto Hamidovic Jr., 22, known as Gony, as overseeing the pickpocket groups, coordinating their movements around Paris, including at Charles de Gaulle Airport and Disneyland, where they mingled with crowds during events to carry out thefts.
The family is believed to have amassed around €2 million, much of it reportedly held abroad, with some members spending time in locations such as the Adriatic resort town of Pula, Croatia. Despite this, Roberto Hamidovic claimed in court to be a secondhand car dealer earning between €2,000 and €5,000 per month.
In response to the sentencing, Hamidovic’s lawyer, Emperatriz Aguirre, argued that the punishment was excessive and labeled the human trafficking charges as lacking tangible proof.
Social services intervened after the arrests, taking in many of the children involved; however, nearly half reportedly disappeared or fled from foster care subsequently. Authorities and prosecutors insist that only stringent penalties, including long prison terms and subsequent extraditions, can combat the deeply entrenched criminal operations maintained by the Hamidovic clan.