Thug beaten to death as Romanian gang wars come to Britain
ROMANIAN gang warfare has spilled on to Britain’s streets, with a leading thug being beaten to death by baseball bat-wielding rivals.
Amid fear of more bloodshed, it was revealed victim Sorin Serbu, 36, was in a drugs and people-trafficking ring.
The father-of-one was ambushed by what was believed to be a group of Romanian rivals armed with baseball bats outside a bar in Ilford, east London, in the early hours of Sunday.
He was rushed to hospital but was later pronounced dead.
It has been claimed body-builder Serbu made his fortune in drugs and prostitution before moving on to Italy and then Britain.
His presence allegedly angered Romanian gangs already operating in Britain.
A Romanian justice source said: “Serbu tried to muscle in and imported around 100 prostitutes.
“The arrival of competition like that was always going to rock the boat.”
Metropolitan Police appealed for witnesses to contact them.
Detectives described the killing at 2.48am on High Road as a “brutal and prolonged attack”. Detective Chief Inspector Andrew Packer, of the Homicide and Major Crime Command, said there were up to five attackers.
Officers cordoned off the road, just yards from Ilford police station.
Mr Packer added: “This investigation is at its early stages and it is vital we speak to witnesses and others who have information about what took place but are yet to come forward.
“I would also like to appeal to anyone who may have captured footage from the scene to contact police.”
The vice trade in Ilford and the surrounding borough of Redbridge is dominated by Romanian and Albanian gangsters.
Romanian police have been brought in to help tackle the gangs.
Residents are angered over the street trade and kerb-crawling, with complaints about sex in gardens and used condoms being strewn along a main road. Officers have seized vans belonging to the gangs and found mattresses in the back.
No arrests have been made over the attack on Serbu.