Pakistani human trafficking ring unearthed in Barcelona

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Barcelona, Nov. 1: Spanish police have reportedly unearthed a human trafficking ring in Barcelona, leading to the arrest of 18 people suspected of smuggling around 1,000 Pakistanis every year into the European Union.

Officers have “dismantled a criminal organisation dedicated to the trafficking of illegal immigrants of Pakistani nationality,” The Dawn quoted the police, as saying in a statement.

The victims had paid between 800 dollars and 20,000 dollars each to be smuggled into Barcelona and other European cities, the police said, adding that the network had operated for at least seven years.

The travel was always carried out “on roads in trucks and vans crammed with up to 25 people” under conditions “that often put their health and safety at risk,” the police said.

Among the 18 people arrested in Pakistan and several European countries during the police operation last week were three leaders of the Barcelona-based ring, which belonged to a larger network in Pakistan that smuggled people into Spain, France, Italy and Germany. (ANI)