Trieste, Italy - Police in Italy have arrested 11 Nigerians suspected of running a prostitution ring in which dozens of women from Nigeria were brought to Italy illegally, news reports said Thursday.

The suspects were picked up in several north-eastern cities including Venice, Verona, Vicenza, Padua, Bergamo and Trieste, from where the investigation began, the ANSA news agency reported.

Police were acting on a tip-off from authorities in neighbouring Slovenia, who had discovered several Nigerian nationals in possession of forged documents.

The gang allegedly "bought" the women in Nigeria for sums of up to 50,000 dollars and then smuggled them into Bulgaria, Austria and Greece, before bringing them to Italy. (dpa)