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's Madrid correspondent, Tom Burridge.
Hidden goods
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.
Eight of the 25 people arrested were in Spain
illegally, they say.


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