Spanish and Finnish police stops Nigeria prostitution ring
Spanish and Finnish police, with the help of European law agencies, have arrested 24 members of a suspected prostitution ring preying on young Nigerian women, Europol said Thursday. “The victims, mainly vulnerable young Nigerian women, were recruited in Nigeria and trafficked to Spain via Italy,” Europe’s Hague-based policing agency said. “Once in Spain they were forced into prostitution, mostly in the cities of Benidorm and Malaga, but also Madrid, Barcelona, Soria and Gandia (Valencia),” Europol said in a statement. Spanish police arrested the gang members in several Spanish cities, but its leader was taken into custody in Helsinki, where “she was arrested by the police, thanks to effective international cooperation.” The probe was started when authorities were alerted that two Nigerian women who were seeking asylum could be victims of human trafficking, Europol said. “Investigations revealed the existence of an organised crime group operating in Spain that had a big infrastruct