VIENNA, Nov 22 (AFP) - Austrian police said Monday they arrested 29 people suspected of having brought 2,500 clandestine immigrants into the country since May, in a people-smuggling network that stretches to Great Britain and Italy.
The clandestine immigrants, mostly from India, came through Slovakia before being brought into Austria "in wooden cases loaded onto trucks," said Christian Jaeger, head of the Vienna police unit in charge of fighting human trafficking.
"The 29 arrested were based in Vienna but worked for the same ring leader in Slovakia. This is one of the most important roundups ever," said Jaeger.
Among those being detained are 14 Indians, five Poles, four Afghans, three Pakistanis, one Turk, one Czech and a German.
Most of the suspects had asylum status in Austria.
Thursday police raided a small apartment in Vienna where 33 illegal immigrants were packed, waiting to be transported to Italy. Among them were children.
The 2,500 people smuggled into Austria since May each paid 1,600 euros (2,000 dollars) for passage from Slovakia alone.
Five hundred additional euros (650 dollars) were paid for the trip to Italy.
Austria is the easternmost country in the Schengen zone, the 15-country, border-free area of Europe.
Arrests in Italy, Germany, Belgium and Denmark also enabled authorities there to stop 70 clandestine immigrants and six smugglers from the same network.
11/22/2004 19:22 GMT - AFP