German police carried out a large-scale operation against suspected human traffickers in the capital Berlin and the eastern German city of Halle an der Saale on Wednesday morning.

The gang of traffickers is accused of having smuggled mainly Turkish and Iraqi citizens into Germany.

According to the police, around 400 federal and Berlin police officers were on duty, including special units such as the GSG 9. More than 20 apartments and offices, mainly in the German capital, were searched.

Five men were arrested, four of them in Berlin and one in Halle. The police said 18 suspects were being investigated.

Traffickers used Balkan route

The illegal migrants were flown from Istanbul by plane to Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the police said. From there they were transported in cars to Germany via the so-called Balkan route.

According to the police, at least 90 people were smuggled in this way. The gang is said to have been well organized, with members being responsible for organization and others being just drivers.

dh/rc (dpa, AFP)