Human trafficking ring broken up: dozens arrested, fake passports seized

Dozens of suspected human-traffickers have been arrested in Spain and France, and 81 fake passports from countries around Asia have been seized, police have said. The main bosses of a smuggling-organization, which was reportedly based in Barcelona, were among those arrested. Spanish police said 51 people had been detained in Spain, and a further 24 had been detained in France. Police said the gang charged over 40,000 euros for each person they smuggled, most of whom would end up in the US and UK, and gave the immigrants instructions on how to avoid being noticed at borders. Officers also said that some of the group's other activities had opened up the illegal immigrants to sexual exploitation. Images released by officials showed seized passports, cash, and what appeared to be a hand-gun.