Dimitris Kouimtsidis
THE Guardia Civil in collaboration with the Mossos have dismantled an international criminal organisation that trafficked over 1,000 people from Africa to Europe.
After more than 18 months of investigating, the agents dismantled the organisation responsible for trafficking undocumented victims from Africa to Spain.
Agents have detained 12 people in three other countries apart from Spain, including in Portugal, Germany and the Netherlands.
Most of those arrested were sub-Saharan nationals who lived in Catalunya.
They were originally recruiting illegal immigrants to work in manual labour jobs for long hours and less than minimum wage.
They were then forced to pay up to €750 to be transferred to France, Belgium and Germany.
To do this they used rented vans or one of the organisation’s personal vehicles and overloaded them with people.
Some 90 trips were conducted and over 1,000 were trafficked.
The victims also included minors and pregnant women.
Searches were also made in homes across various cities in Spain, including Barcelona, Burgos and Lleida, in which two kilos of marijuana were found.
