Serbia breaks human trafficking ring

BELGRADE, Serbia, July 16 (UPI) -- Serbian and Bosnian police arrested 25 people on suspicion of smuggling Turks and Albanians to Italy, officials said Thursday.

Ivica Dacic, Serbian interior minister, told reporters in Belgrade police detained 13 suspects, while police in neighboring Bosnia-Herzegovina apprehended another 12 suspects.

The group is suspected to have smuggled in more than 60 Albanian citizens to European Union countries, Daccic said.

Police officials said the group made an estimated profit of up to $420,000, Belgrade's B92 Web site said.

Serbian and Bosnian police worked along with international law enforcement organizations in tracing down the human trafficking suspects.

The traffickers allegedly transported the Turks and Albanians to Trieste, Italy using a route that ran through Albania, Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia, B92 said.