Police in Silesia, in co-operation with the Italian Carabinieri, have made a total of 19 arrests, including 5 Poles, of members of an international human trafficking organisation.
Over 20 young women fell victim to the criminal gang, whose members offered legal work abroad, including such countries as Japan, Italy and Greece. Instead of finding gainful employment, they were forced into prostitution, beaten and raped.
“So far we have documented 22 such cases,” spokesman for the Silesian police force, Andrzej Gaska told the press, warning, however, that “we believe that this number may be greater.”
The sting operation took place on Sunday, both in Italy and in Poland, where arrests were made in Dzierzoniow, south-west Poland, as well as in the Baltic city of Gdansk and north-western Stargard Szczecinski.
A further 16 people were arrested in Italy, including two Polish women.
The operation took two years to execute, and started when signals came to light in late 2008 of young women being offered legal work abroad.
“The women were offered attractive jobs as hostesses or in the entertainment industry,” Gaska informed journalists, adding that “the advertisements were placed on internet sites and in newspapers.”
If found guilty, the traffickers may spend up to 15 years in prison. (jb/mg)
Source: PAP
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