Federal police have searched homes in southwestern Germany in an attempt to combat human trafficking.
A police spokesman told dpa on Tuesday that four arrest warrants have already been executed and a total of 24 apartments in the city of Mannheim and in the nearby areas of Karlsruhe and Worms have been searched.
An investigation is underway into a group of seven people suspected of being human traffickers.
The police spokesperson told dpa that the group in question had allegedly brought people from the Middle East and the Caucasus to Germany and in some cases had them work in the EU country without a residence permit.
Police have been investigating the alleged operation since January on suspicion of human trafficking, employment of migrants without residence permits and fraud.
