A Romanian grooming gang has been convicted of sexually exploiting 10 vulnerable women in Dundee. Four men and one woman were found guilty of dozens of offences - including rape - following an extensive investigation into sexual exploitation, human trafficking, and the supply of drugs in the Tayside area. Marian Cumpanasoiu, 37, Remus Stan, 34, Catalin Dobre, 44, Cristian Urlateanu, 41, and Alexandra Bugonea, 34, denied any wrongdoing but on Thursday were convicted following a trial at the High Court in Glasgow. Detective Inspector Scott Carswell branded the offenders "deplorable" in an interview with Sky News' Scotland correspondent, Connor Gillies. The detective said the gang plied the women with alcohol and free Class A drugs at parties before coercing them into sexual activity, "which a lot of them didn't want to do". He said: "But as things progressed, they were so addicted to the drugs that they knew the only way they could get the drugs was to perform the sexual acts that they were having to get involved in." Detective Inspector Scott Carswell Image: Detective Inspector Scott Carswell DI Carswell said the gang got the women addicted to drugs in a bid to control them and keep them coming back for more. He added: "They've had no thought as to the impact this is having on the victims. It's been quite controlled in that they knew what they were doing." The gang will be sentenced at a later date. Police Scotland said the offenders were arrested and charged as part of Operation Recloir, which was launched in late 2021 to target a gang of suspected human traffickers in the Tayside area. DI Carswell said the inquiry initially focused on brothel-keeping in Dundee and the suspected trafficking of Romanian females into the country. He added: "However, into the summer of 2022 we started to receive information that the crime group were targeting vulnerable Dundee females, and it looked like they were grooming them and coercing them with gifts of free drugs and other things until it moved on to the victims having to get involved in sexual activity to get the free drugs. "And unfortunately, this got them addicted to the class A drugs that had been provided."