British police arrest 15 suspected human traffickers

[issanrebel]

British police arrest 15 suspected human traffickers

LONDON: British police say they have arrested 15 people suspected of trafficking women from Thailand and forcing them to work as prostitutes in London.

Police say the raid early Sunday targeted a ring that was using an Internet escort agency as a front.

Police say they raided 26 addresses in central London and one in suburban Surrey.

Thirty women have been taken to a victims' support center as police try to establish the nature of their relationship with the gang.

Police say the gang demanded the women pay them 28,000 pounds (€35,000; US$55,000) before they could be freed. That amount is called "debt bondage" and is what the women owe the gang for smuggling them into the country and giving them a place to stay.

Source: [http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/04/20/europe/EU-GEN-Britain-Human-Trafficking.php]International Herald Tribune April 20, 2008[/url]