GETTY Spanish police report a European human smugglers gang was stopped

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More than 100 people including the alleged gang leaders have been arrested as part of the pan-European operation, Spanish police say. Officers in Madrid announced the crackdown as they claimed the alleged people smugglers had trafficked around 6,000 Ukranian immigrants using mostly fake Polish travel documents. The favoured route into Britain involved a flight to Dublin from Belgium, France or Spain followed by a ferry to the UK, it is believed.

GETTY Half of the arrests took place at Spanish airports

Around half the 115 arrests took place in Spanish airports including those in Barcelona, Murcia, Bilbao and Malaga.

The organisation provided the immigrants with visas which enabled them to enter the Schengen area Spanish National Police

The alleged gang leader, said to have been responsible for circulating the fake documents and arranging the illegal immigrants' travel to the UK, was held in Barcelona where he was living with his partner. More than 100 falsified Polish passports and ID documents were seized at his flat. A man allegedly responsible for recruiting clients was held in Romania and two suspects were arrested in Poland although a 'Mr Big' based in Britain is on the run after evading arrest.

GETTY The gang was smuggling people in to the UK through Ireland

A spokesman for the the Spanish National Police said: “The documentation obtained during the raids that took place and the statements taken from the detainees facilitated the identification of the head of the trafficking operation in the UK, namely a Ukranian in charge of receiving the immigrants when they reached London. “His arrest was not possible and a European Arrest Warrant has been issued for him.“ As well as the 56 people arrested in Spanish airports - many of whom were intending to enter Britain illegally - 30 were arrested at airports in Belgium, France Portugal and Holland. Dublin is said to have been a key staging post in the operation. A statement released by Spain's National Police along with video footage of the operation said: “The organisation provided the immigrants with visas which enabled them to enter the Schengen area through countries bordering theirs, mainly Poland.

GETTY Thousands of Ukrainian's could have been smuggled in through Dublin