Six people believed to be part of an organised crime group involved in the trafficking of over 100 females were arrested in a series of dawn raids this morning.
Officers from the Metropolitan Police’s Trafficking and Kidnap unit executed seven warrants in Newham, Kensington and Chelsea, Enfield and Waltham Forest, as well as Peterborough.
The unit also visited 15 brothels and rescued ten victims.
The operation was part of an ongoing investigation into a Hungarian organised crime group as part of a joint investigation between the Met and Hungarian police.
During this investigation, one of the alleged victims escaped from her traffickers and contacted police.
The group had been advertising sexual services online, including “unprotected sex”, and are suspected of operating in other countries, including Belgium, Austria and Germany.
The Met’s Trafficking and Kidnap unit was formed in May. It is the largest unit of its kind in the UK, with more than 60 officers dedicated to it.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here