Carabinieri police on
Tuesday arrested seven people, an Italian and six Nigerian
nationals, in the Calabrian cities of Lamezia Terme and Rosarno
and in Livorno, Tuscany, on charges of organizing an illegal
immigration and prostitution ring.
According to investigators, coordinated by DDA anti-mafia
police in Catanzaro, the suspects were able to bring into the
country dozens of Nigerian women and then forced them to become
prostitutes with violence, threats and "voodoo/juju" black magic
rites, to repay what they said was the cost of their trip, or
about 30,000 euros.
The suspects have been accused of a range of charges
including international criminal conspiracy aimed at human
trafficking, slavery, illegal immigration and exploitation of
prostitution.
The investigation kicked off in January 2017 after one of the
victims went to the police.
The criminal ring operated in Italy as well as in Nigeria and
Libya, investigators said.
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