Police in Hesse, Rhineland-Palatinate, Baden-Wuerttemberg and Bavaria questioned hundreds of sex workers prior to arresting nearly 100 men in statewide raids, authorities said yesterday.

Volker Bouffier, interior minister of Hesse, said the raids Wednesday were launched in an effort to combat concerns expressed by human rights organizations and other groups that thousands of women, mostly from Eastern Europe, could be smuggled into Germany and forced to work as prostitutes during the World Cup.

"The controls and searches are an effective way to fight against such crimes, and for this reason (we) will continue to carry out such actions," Bouffier said.

Prostitution is legal in Germany and sex workers, who pay taxes and receive social benefits, are required to register with authorities. About 400,000 people are registered in the trade.

Police in Hesse checked the documentation and registration of 603 prostitutes, making 74 arrests. Authorities in neighboring Rhineland-Palatinate said they arrested 22 people and another 34 were issued citations, mostly for immigration violations and failure to comply with business regulations.