ROME, June 8 (Xinhua) -- Thirteen Nigerian nationals were arrested in Italy in an operation targeting an alleged human trafficking ring, Italian police said on Thursday.
All of the suspects were variously charged with the induction of people into slavery and prostitution, human trafficking, and illegal immigration. At least seven women were among those arrested.
The operation was coordinated by prosecutors of the Anti-Mafia District Directorate (DDA) in Cagliari, Sardinia, and raids were carried out in the provinces of Cagliari, Reggio Calabria, Perugia, Pistoia, and Pescara.
"The operation resulted from complaints filed by young women from Ghana and Nigeria, who were engaged in prostitution at the outskirts of the regional capital (Cagliari)," the police headquarters said in a statement.
The suspects allegedly trafficked women from various countries in Central Africa to Italy with the promise of regular employment, and then forced them into prostitution.
They are also believed to have threatened to retaliate against the victims'relatives back in their countries of origin had they disobeyed.
According to investigators, each victim had to pay traffickers 25,000 to 30,000 euros (28,000 to 33,600 U.S. dollars) to repay the cost of the journey from Africa to Europe.
The probe also uncovered links between the Nigerian traffickers and migrant smugglers based in Libya, where most of the trafficked women were brought before undertaking the Mediterranean crossing to reach Italy.
In at least one case, the victim was recruited through Facebook, the investigation revealed. In another case, the Nigerian traffickers said they would try to ensure the transfer of a young woman to the German city of Munich, after a short stay in Italy.
Some of the young victims contributed to the probe with their testimonies, and were put under protection as provided by Italian law, police said.
