500 arrested in human trafficking raids in Britain

POLICE in Britain have arrested more than 500 suspects in a crackdown on human trafficking in the sex trade, the government said yesterday.

The Home Office said the majority of the 167 victims identified originated from China, south-east Asia and eastern Europe. Most were women, with the youngest aged just 14.

Police made 528 arrests in the operation, codenamed Pentameter 2, after raiding 822 premises, of which 157 were massage parlours and 582 houses and flats.