Spain police arrest suspected Chinese mafia members

Police in Spain have arrested at least 60 people in a nationwide crackdown on Chinese criminal gangs.

The operation, involving more than 300 officers, focused on money-laundering and connected illegal activities such as tax evasion.

Officers reportedly searched more than 100 premises - mainly in the capital Madrid and in Barcelona.

Among those arrested was a local councillor for Fuenlabrada in southern Madrid, government officials said.

The district is home to the huge Cobo Calleja trading estate, considered the biggest Chinese wholesale hub in Europe.

Spanish newpapers published photographs of police carrying out raids at Chinese businesses in the neighbourhood, known as a source of cheap goods from China.

The news agency Efe says an investigation was launched two years ago into imports arriving in Cobo Calleja.

In a statement, the Spanish interior ministry said: "The national police is carrying out a major operation against money-laundering and other crimes linked to criminal networks of Chinese origin in various provinces of Spain.

"About 60 people have already been detained and the arrests and searches are continuing."