ROME: Italian police announced on Monday the arrest of 13 individuals suspected of being part of a smuggling ring that transported migrants from the Middle East and South Asia into Italy and onward to France.
The suspects, hailing from Iraq, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, were apprehended in various cities, including Bologna, Rome, and Milan, on Sunday, according to prosecutors in Catanzaro, Calabria.
They face charges of criminal association and money laundering. Investigators uncovered a “criminal organization rooted in Turkey and Iraq, with branches in Italy, France, and Greece, focused on managing the maritime transport of irregular migrants,” as detailed in a prosecutor’s statement.
The migrants included individuals from Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Syria, and Lebanon, who were brought to the coasts of Calabria.
The organization operated through a network of compatriots who provided shelter to the migrants in the Crotone area and arranged their transportation to the Italian border with France, where smugglers assisted them in crossing via the Ventimiglia region.
Moreover, three commercial properties in Ventimiglia, Rome, and Milan were seized during the operation, suspected of facilitating illegal money transfers using the “hawala” system—an informal, trust-based payment method that is harder to trace than conventional bank transfers.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who has prioritized combating irregular migration, praised the arrests, affirming her government’s commitment to dismantling these criminal networks and eradicating illegal human trafficking.
