A Chinese network that used luxury cars to smuggle Chinese migrants into Italy has been discovered by Italian police. The people were exploited after their passports were confiscated.
The smugglers had the migrants pose as "innocent Asian citizens, well-dressed with little luggage, traveling in powerful and expensive cars driven by Chinese citizens who had lived in Italy for years and spoke Italian," the police said in a statement.
The migrants were taken to a hideout near Venice, where they stayed for a few days before being taken to other parts of Italy or other European countries.
At the hideout, the smugglers took the migrants' passports and subjected them to "serious exploitation until the debt for the journey had been paid back," according to the statement. The police describe the conditions the people were subjected to as a form of slavery.
Nine people have been arrested, accused of working with the smuggling network. More than 70 undocumented migrants have been identified, including minors.
