Italy arrests 25 on suspicion of migrant smuggling: Report

Suspects, mostly from Guinea or Ivory Coast, are allegedly part of ‘foreign network’ that smuggled migrants, local media reports

By Ahmet Gencturk

ATHENS (AA) - Italy on Wednesday arrested at least 25 people on migrant smuggling, charges, local media reported.

The suspects, mostly from Guinea or Ivory Coast, are allegedly part of a “foreign network” that smuggled migrants “arriving in Italy from sub-Saharan countries to other parts of the European Union,” said the state-run ANSA news agency.

"The smugglers contacted the migrants directly in Africa (Ivory Coast, Mali, Morocco, Libya) and took them to the European country of choice for a payment of more than 1,000 euros," said Francesco Messina, a senior police official.

On April 11, Italy declared a six-month state of emergency to deal with a surge in the number of migrants arriving in the country via the Mediterranean Sea.

Some 35,000 migrants have arrived so far this year compared to 8,400 in the same period last year.

Kaynak:

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