Belgium seizes 'people smugglers'

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Suspects were arrested in a series of raids

Belgian police say they have broken up the "core" of a people-smuggling ring that was seeking to gain entry to the UK for hundreds of illegal immigrants.

Fifteen people were arrested in a series of dawn raids on safe houses around Brussels, and about 200 Indian illegal immigrants were found.

Prosecutors said some of the Indians had paid up to 20,000 euros ($26,800; £15,500) to be taken to the UK.

The raids followed a year-long police investigation into people trafficking.

The ring was believed to be capable of smuggling thousands of people into Britain every year, said Tim de Wolf, an assistant prosecutor involved in the investigation.

"We think we found and identified about 15 of the organisers of this smuggling of human beings," he said.

They controlled a whole series of little groups, sometimes working together, sometimes competing against each other Tim de Wolf Assisstant prosecutor

The would-be migrants were mainly Indian men aged between 15 and 35, as well as some women and children, he added.

Most of the migrants were from the Indian state of Punjab and were generally taken to the UK via Moscow and Belgium, Mr de Wolf said.

They were being kept in miserable conditions while waiting to be taken on the final leg of their journey.

"We found 24 people crammed inside one windowless room, measuring around 12 sq m (129 sq ft)," he said.

Mr de Wolf said two of those arrested were "the brains behind the trafficking operations in Belgium".

"They controlled a whole series of little groups, sometimes working together, sometimes competing against each other. We hope that we have broken up the core of the network."