FILE PHOTO: Nigerian ladies trafficked into Italy for prostitution in detention

24 members of a suspected prostitution ring trafficking young Nigerian women to Spain have been arrested by the Spanish Police with the support of Europol.

“The victims, mainly vulnerable young Nigerian women, were recruited in Nigeria and trafficked to Spain via Italy,” Hague-based European policing agency, Europol said in a statement.

“Once in Spain they were forced into prostitution, mostly in the cities of Benidorm and Malaga, but also Madrid, Barcelona, Soria and Gandia (Valencia),” Europol added.

Members of the gang were arrested in several Spanish cities, but its leader was taken into custody in Helsinki, where “she was arrested by the police, thanks to effective international cooperation.”

Europol said the investigation was spurred when authorities were alerted that two Nigerian women who were seeking asylum could be victims of human trafficking.

“Investigations revealed the existence of an organised crime group operating in Spain that had a big infrastructure in Nigeria, as well as links in Niger, Libya and Italy.”

The women were smuggled to Spain where they were told to seek international protection and asylum “so that they could work for the criminal organisation without problems in the event of being identified by the police,” Europol said.

The group, Europol said, also provided the victims with fraudulent documents with which they request for asylum.