Officers freed two women who had been forced into prostitution and provided them with assistance through the National Centre for Victims of Human Trafficking, police said.
Investigators said the group operated across Poland, targeting women in vulnerable life situations. Victims were allegedly subjected to abductions, threats and coercion, had their movements restricted and were barred from contacting their families.
"The women were forced to engage in prostitution regardless of their health or physical and emotional exhaustion," police said in a statement.
One victim managed to escape, which led police to identify six additional victims, according to authorities.
Among those detained is a 31-year-old man from the nearby town of Oleśnica, identified by police as the alleged leader of the group.
Investigators said the suspects were also involved in the production and distribution of drugs, including amphetamine, mephedrone and marijuana.
Police said the group additionally used fraudulent schemes to take over land and real estate from elderly people in financial distress, persuading them to sell property well below market value and, in some cases, withholding payment altogether.
Prosecutors in the southern city of Kraków are overseeing the investigation. A court there ordered eight suspects held in pre-trial detention.
Police said they have seized large quantities of drugs and secured assets worth about PLN 2.5 million (EUR 590,000).
(pm/gs)
Source: IAR, PAP