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1,000 arrested in EU crackdown on organized crime

THE HAGUE — In what a police chief called the biggest organized crime crackdown in Europe, law enforcement agencies across the European Union arrested more than 1,000 people in a closely coordinated nine-day sweep.

Operation Archimedes targeted almost all kinds of crime ranging from drug trafficking to illegal immigration, tax fraud, counterfeiting, and theft, Europol director Rob Wainwright told reporters.

The operation involved 20,000 law enforcement officers in more than 300 cities, ports, airports, and border crossings. They made 1,027 arrests and saved 30 Romanian children from being trafficked. It also netted large amounts of drugs including hundreds of kilograms of cocaine and heroin, Wainwright said.

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The operation ‘‘has led, I think, to a very significant attack on the whole criminal infrastructure in Europe,’’ Wainwright said.

He added that intelligence gained in the operation will lead to future arrests.

The raids underscored how criminals across the European Union and beyond are organizing their efforts, often using heavily encrypted Internet messages to communicate.

Associated Press