Greece detains 25 human trading suspects

ATHENS, Greece, July 9 (UPI) -- Greek police said they detained 25 people on suspicion of trafficking women from Eastern Europe to Greece for sexual exploitation.

The suspects, including four Greek police officers, were part of one of the largest human trafficking rings in the region, the Athens News Agency reported Thursday.

About 150 police officers of the Attica special squad dealing with organized crime Tuesday arrested more than 200 people in raids on four brothels, eight night clubs, 10 houses and two yachts across Greece.

Apart from the 25 detained, 42 more suspects face charges in Greece and other countries, police said.

During the police raids Tuesday, Greek authorities seized two luxury yachts, about $88,000, 47 cell phones and four laptop computers.

Police Brig. Yiannis Dikopoulos, the head of the Attica security police, said the human smuggling ring began operating about six months ago, employing women in strip clubs, brothels and agencies providing sex services.

The money earned through these illegal operations was invested in legal businesses in Greece, Dikopoulos said.

The Greek ring also cooperated with groups in the Czech Republic, Poland, Romania and Russia from where women were smuggled to Greece and forced to work as prostitutes, he said.