Spanish police arrest 25 Nigerians for ‘sex trafficking’

Spanish police say they have arrested 25 people in a
sex-trafficking ring that brought women from Nigeria
to work as prostitutes.
The women, allegedly lured with the promise of good
jobs in Europe, were first flown to Mexico or Brazil,
travelling on false identity documents.
From there, they were flown to Paris, then smuggled
into Spain to work in the sex trade, police say.
Five women who were victims of the sex ring were
freed in the raids.
Police found one member of the gang performing an
abortion on one of the five women, reports the BBC.
Arrests were made across Spain – in Madrid, Toledo,
Cantabria and Palma de Mallorca.
More than 100 vans concealing luxury goods were
also seized.
The gang used the vans to launder their profits and
send them back to Lagos, police say.
The vans, with dark-tinted windows and welded
doors, were stocked full of beer but had luxury items
hidden deeper inside.
Goods worth an estimated 5m euros (£4.1m; $6.6m)
were found in 94 vans seized in Madrid and another
26 in the port of Valencia, including high-end
televisions and cases of alcohol.
Police say the gang was formed more than 20 years
ago in Nigerian universities and was also known for
sending so-called Nigerian letters by email, asking
recipients to send money.