Europol, the law enforcement agency of the European Union, announced on Wednesday that officers in 34 countries coordinated on a series of raids that targeted organized crime and resulted in over 1,000 arrests.

"Operation Archimedes," as the action was called, took place from September 15 and 23. It was coordinated by Europol headquarters in The Hague and involved hundreds of locations across Europe, which included airports and border-crossing points.

"The scale of the operation is unprecedented and the outcome, with over 1,000 arrests made across Europe, a reminder to even the most serious criminal groups that the international law enforcement community is determined to combat their illegal activities," Europol director Rob Wainwright said in a statement.

All 28 European Union member states participated in the operation, and law enforcement officials from Australia, Colombia, Norway, Serbia, Switzerland and the US also took part.

The raid saw 30 Romanian children saved from trafficking. Nearly 600 kg (1,322 pounds) of cocaine were seized in addition to 200 kg of heroin as well.

mz/bw