An Italian-led, joint European police operation, 'Sunflower', led to the arrests of 80 people in early October 2002, in what was claimed to be the continent's most important operation ever against human trafficking. Members of gangs trafficking east European women were arrested in Italy, Austria, Spain, Portugal, France, Poland, Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. Targets of the operation included travel agents, coach companies and 'hotel' owners. The operation followed a similar one in April 2001, in which 100 people were arrested; police pointed to close co-operation between Russian and Italian groups in both cases. However, the operation has only made a...