Police smash human trafficking ring

Last updated at 11:18 04 November 2004


Police claim they have smashed a human trafficking gang thought to be responsible for smuggling hundreds of Turkish people into Britain in the last few years.

The illegal immigrants were brought in by air, road and sea through Germany, France and Belgium.

Eight alleged members of the gang were arrested in raids in London this morning.

Further raids were launched by immigration police on the continent and they arrested more suspects.

Five people were held in raids on nine addresses in Hamburg and Cologne in Germany.

The crackdown was a year in the planning and was part of Scotland Yard's ongoing effort - codenamed Operation Maxim - against human trafficking.

On arrival in London the illegal immigrants were being exploited to provide cheap labour in cafes and takeaways in London and elsewhere.

Assistant Commissioner Tarique Ghaffur, head of the Yard's specialist crime directorate,

said: "Today's operation is a further example of our commitment to tackling organised immigration crime that has a devastating effect upon London's communities.

"The arrests follow a 12-month intelligence-led operation, which has seen unprecedented co-operation between the Metropolitan Police, United Kingdom Immigration Service, our counterparts in Germany and with other European law enforcement agencies."

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