Updated

Police in Spain and Morocco say they have arrested 10 people allegedly involved in human trafficking across the Strait of Gibraltar, including bringing Nigerian women to Europe for sexual slavery.

Spanish police said in a statement on Tuesday that seven of the suspects were arrested in the eastern Spanish coastal town of Torrevieja, where police say they found evidence of sexual slavery involving at least 39 women.

Police say further investigations led agents to three more suspects operating between Nigeria and Morocco who allegedly were in charge of finding the women and smuggling them into Europe by sea and land. One of the detainees is alleged to be a prominent trafficker who operated more than 40 migrant boats across the Mediterranean since 2008.