Six arrested in Palma in connection with EU human traffic scandal

PALMA/MADRID
NATIONAL police arrested a total of six people in Palma yesterday who are allegedly linked to a criminal organization responsible for human trafficking.

The gang, reported to have shipped at least 3'500 Ukranians into European Union countries has been networking internationally across Spain, Portugal, Italy, Poland, Hungary and Czechoslovakia.

According to National Police headquarters in the Balearics, Spain has to date successfully detained 14 people reputed to be linked to the network, and accused them of crimes against foreign nationals and of exploiting human beings for sexual and labour purposes. The massive police operation to blow open the network has involved 200 officers travelling to various other European countries, with security forces in Palma establishing information exchanges at a national level with their counterparts in Gerona, Valencia and Malaga.