London
British police this week arrested at least 18 people suspected of smuggling up to 200,000 illegal immigrants into Britain. Police forces across Europe have been working together for two years to track the smugglers, who are believed to run Europe’s largest human-trafficking network. Most of the immigrants were Turkish Kurds or Balkan refugees seeking a new life in Britain. Each paid up to $9,000 to be smuggled in hidden containers loaded on trucks for a treacherous journey that often took months and left an unknown number dead. Those who survived would disappear into Britain’s underground economy.
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