Skip to main content
BBC NEWS / EUROPE
Graphics VersionBBC Sport Home
News Front Page | Africa | Americas | Asia-Pacific | Europe | Middle East | South Asia | UK | Business | Health | Science & Environment | Technology | Entertainment | Also in the news | Have Your Say |
Tuesday, 15 January 2008, 15:10 GMT

Italy police smash Nigerian gang

Italian police Italian police have arrested dozens of alleged members of a gang accused of smuggling Nigerians into Europe to work as drug couriers and prostitutes.

"Operation Viola" led to 51 arrests in Italy and 15 in other parts of Europe, mostly in The Netherlands.

Most of the people trafficked by the gang were women and children, some of whom had been kidnapped from Nigerian orphanages, police said.

An earlier phase of the operation ended in October with 23 arrests.

Suspects at the time were arrested in The Netherlands, Britain, France, Germany, Spain, Belgium, the US and Nigeria.

The latest suspects held by Italian police face charges relating to slavery, kidnapping and trafficking people and drugs.

The crackdown was organised by anti-mafia officials in Naples, and aided by the Dutch police.

A chief anti-mafia prosecutor, Pietro Grasso, said the arrests had dealt a major blow to a "dangerous" gang centred around the Nigerian city of Lagos.

Police said the gang's activities had earned it hundreds of thousands of dollars.




E-mail this to a friend
Related to this story:
Dutch smash 'voodoo' child trade (25 Oct 07 |  Europe )
Nigerians lured to work in Italy (25 Apr 05 |  Africa )
New danger for Italy's foreign prostitutes (12 Sep 03 |  Europe )
Italy launches crackdown on crime (16 May 02 |  Europe )
Trafficking victims 'need help' (11 Dec 03 |  Europe )


SEARCH BBC NEWS: 

News Front Page | Africa | Americas | Asia-Pacific | Europe | Middle East | South Asia | UK | Business | Health | Science & Environment | Technology | Entertainment | Also in the news | Have Your Say |

NewsWatch | Notes | Contact us | About BBC News | Profiles | History

^ Back to top | BBC Sport Home | BBC Homepage | Contact us | Help | ©