Spanish Police Arrest 25 Nigerians, Break Sex Slave Ring.

Spanish police say they have busted a gang of 25 Nigerians who were engaged in human trafficking for sexual exploitation, Internet fraud and money laundering. Five women who were victims of sex slavery were released during the crackdown on the underground operation in Spain, according to the police;

The gang was using Spain as a springboard to send Nigerian women to be exploited in other countries, and it laundered profits by buying luxury products that were shipped to Lagos, Nigeria, in vans with darkened windows and welded doors, police said About 94 vans have been seized near Madrid and 26 loaded ones at Valencia port containing goods worth of $6.7 million, the statement said. The vans contained items such as expensive television sets and cases of premium liquor.

The gang was originally formed around 1990 at Nigerian universities and was responsible for sending a large number of "Nigerian letters" that tried to fraudulently extract money from recipients, the statement said. The gang "captured" women in Nigeria, flew them with false identity papers to airports in Mexico and Brazil, then sent them to Paris, from where they were driven to Spain, police said. Eight of the 25 suspects were illegal immigrants, and the arrests occurred in Madrid, Toledo, Cantabria and Palma de Mallorca.

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