The leader of the child gang pickpocketing tourists in Paris has been arrested.

A French court has sentenced the head of a family who operated child pickpocket gangs targeting tourists in Paris. The 48-year-old man, Roberto Hamidovic, has been convicted of human trafficking charges.

He had employed children, including girls as young as 10, to steal money from tourists frequenting major attractions in Paris such as the Metro train service and Disneyland. According to the police, these child thieves typically earned around 25,000 Euros per day.

It was revealed in the Paris court that when the children failed to bring in the required amount of money, they were beaten, burned, or subjected to sexual abuse. The adults, including Hamidovic, the leader of this gang, lived a very luxurious life, while the girls involved in the thefts were forced to live in poorly equipped shelters or abandoned buildings. Seven members of this gang, which operated as part of an an international network of pickpockets spread across several European countries, were accused of human trafficking, organized theft, exploitation of minors, and money laundering. However, they all denied the charges. The court sentenced Roberto Hamidovic to eight years in prison and a fine of 500,000 Euros, while his wife, Lejla, was sentenced to six years in prison and a fine of 300,000 Euros. In addition, his two sons, a nephew, and two other female relatives received prison sentences of between five and seven years and fines. They were informed that after serving their sentences, they would be deported from France and prohibited from re-entering the country.

Investigators believe that this gang is responsible for 75% of the thefts occurring on the Paris Metro line, and they state that between six and nine children were sent daily to Disneyland, Charles de Gaulle Airport, and Metro stations. Roberto stated in court that he was a used car dealer earning between 2,000 and 5,000 Euros per month. However, public prosecutor Alice Guillet said that the family deliberately used minors to avoid harsher penalties. The child pickpockets were instructed to claim they were 12 years old if caught by the police, as this is an age below which criminal penalties cannot be imposed under French law. It is reported that Roberto took control of this network in 2013 after his uncle, Fehmi Hamidovic, was sentenced to seven years in prison. The Hamidovic couple is further suspected of having accumulated wealth of approximately 2 million Euros through this, which is hidden abroad.