UK arrests suspect accused of masterminded smuggling of thousands of migrants into EU
Source: InfoMigrants: reliable and verified news for migrants – InfoMigrants
The UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) announced that it had taken a suspect accused of arranging the smuggling of thousands of migrants from North Africa into Europe into custody. The arrest of the Egyptian national was the result of months of international cooperation between the UK and Italian authorities.
The suspect, named as Ahmed Ramadan Mohamad Eibd by the NCA, was arrested near his home in Isleworth, west London last week, following an international investigation which involved prosecutors, coast guard officials and financial investigators (Guardia di Finanza) in Italy.
He was charged with facilitating illegal immigration at Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court in West London on Saturday, and will reportedly be held in custody until his next court appearance at Southwark Crown Court in a month.
The 40-year-old is suspected of organizing the smuggling of thousands of migrants from Libya to Italy across the Mediterranean Sea.
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Thousands of people smuggled from North Africa
According to the NCA, Eibd worked with smuggling networks across north Africa to move a suspected thousands of migrants to Europe — with hundreds of migrants being moved at a time.
He is alleged to have kept a network of criminal associates on the ground in Libya.
Several of the journeys alleged to have been masterminded by Eibd resulted in search and rescue operations needing to be launched by Italian authorities, the police agency added.
The NCA cited a crossing from October 2022, which saw “more than 640 migrants rescued by the Italian authorities after they attempted to cross in a wooden boat from Libya.”
It also highlighted an instance dating to early December 2022, about a fishing boat with 265 migrants on board, who also had to be rescued by the Italian coast guard.
Most recently, there were two search and rescue operations in April this year, each with more than 600 migrants involved, which are also being attributed to Eibd and his smuggling network.
It is unclear how many deaths may be linked to the activities of the network.
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NCA: Smuggling is an ‘international problem’
Darren Barr, senior investigating officer at the NCA, said that “(p)eople smuggling is an international problem and tackling this at every step of the route is a priority for the NCA.”
“The type of boats organized crime groups use for crossings are death traps, and sadly many people have died after incidents in the Mediterranean, which demonstrates the level of danger,” he added.
“We will continue to share intelligence and take action with partners to prevent crossings and arrest people smugglers here and overseas.”
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with AFP
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