ROME/PARIS, Dec 15: Italian, French and British police have smashed an international people smuggling ring that flooded Europe with thousands of illegal immigrants in recent years, police officials said on Thursday.

Police detained 53 people in raids across five countries this week and are searching for at least 40 other suspects in connection with the cross-border investigation.

“It’s the largest operation of this type ever organised in a coordinated way in Europe,” Paris prosecutor Jean-Claude Marin told a news conference in the French capital.

At a separate press conference in Rome, Italian police said the network primarily dealt with Iraqi Kurds, who paid between $7,500-$15,000 each for safe passage. Many of the Kurds were first brought to Italy via Turkey and Greece and from there taken on to France and Britain.

The operation was run by a 30-year-old Iraqi Kurd arrested in Rome, who was named as Ali Ako and nicknamed Arsalan.

“He managed the global strategy of the entire organisation from the (Italian) capital,” Italian police said. “The immigrants and their families ... were forced to pay huge sums to get to Europe, or, in rare cases, North America.”

Thousands of illegal immigrants arrive in Italy each year, many on overcrowded boats that set sail from North Africa.—Reuters