Police strike against Stockholm brothels
A major police operation has targeted several brothels in the Greater Stockholm area and fourteen people were arrested on Sunday.
All but one were still in custody on Monday, twelve of them on suspicion of procurement.
Police said that there were simultaneous raids on eleven addresses in Sundbyberg, Hässelby, Vällingby, Solna, Traneberg, on Lidingö and in Östermalm. Officers had been tracking the gang since October.
The group was said to be "very well-organised" with five brothels around the city. Customers were attracted through escort pages on the internet, while the prostitutes apparently came to Sweden on fake passports.
Two women who were arrested in the operation have now been released and taken to protected accommodation.
Around 60 police officers took part in the operation, which was part of Stockholm police's 'Project Europa', a drive against human trafficking and procurement.
Greger Casselborg, the head of Project Europa, was guarded about how many prostitutes the gang had exploited.
"But there are a number of women from Eastern Europe," he told Dagens Nyheter.
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All but one were still in custody on Monday, twelve of them on suspicion of procurement.
Police said that there were simultaneous raids on eleven addresses in Sundbyberg, Hässelby, Vällingby, Solna, Traneberg, on Lidingö and in Östermalm. Officers had been tracking the gang since October.
The group was said to be "very well-organised" with five brothels around the city. Customers were attracted through escort pages on the internet, while the prostitutes apparently came to Sweden on fake passports.
Two women who were arrested in the operation have now been released and taken to protected accommodation.
Around 60 police officers took part in the operation, which was part of Stockholm police's 'Project Europa', a drive against human trafficking and procurement.
Greger Casselborg, the head of Project Europa, was guarded about how many prostitutes the gang had exploited.
"But there are a number of women from Eastern Europe," he told Dagens Nyheter.
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