[JURIST] Italian police Chief Superintendent Chiara Giacomantonio said Wednesday that a four month-long investigation has turned up nearly 2,000 suspects believed to be involved in human trafficking [HRW backgrounder; JURIST news archive] in Italy. According to police, most of the human trafficking involved both minors and adults who were forced into sweatshops and prostitution. Giacomantonio also stated that most of those involved are Eastern Europeans, as well as some from Asia and Africa. Speaking on the investigation, Italian Interior Minister Giuliano Amato [Wikipedia profile] said that "fighting these criminal groups...is a matter of civic conscience of all of us even before it becomes a matter of law."

Of the people suspected, 784 are currently in Italian custody, while the remaining have been released until further proceedings. AP has more.