Italian police have dismantled a migrant smuggling network, resulting in the arrest of 15 Egyptian nationals across several countries. They used sailboats for illegal sea crossings from Turkey to Greece and Italy.
According to Reuters, citing Italian police, this network facilitated the illegal entry of at least 3,000 migrants into Italy since 2021, earning over $30 million by charging each migrant $10,000. The arrests were made simultaneously in several countries thanks to cooperation with law enforcement agencies in Albania, Germany, Turkey, and Oman, coordinated with prosecutors fighting the mafia in Sicily, as well as support from Interpol and Europol.
The network was led by an Egyptian man who managed operations from Istanbul, according to police. The organization employed professional skippers, almost all of whom were Egyptian, and provided logistical support in Turkey while migrants waited for departure. The migrants were transported on sailboats ranging from 12 to 15 meters in length, without life-saving equipment.
The migrants were smuggled from Turkish ports in Bodrum, Izmir, and Marmaris, with the journey lasting up to a week. Dozens of thousands of migrants are believed to have died attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea.
This route gained significant attention following a tragedy in February 2023 off the coast of Cutro in southern Italy, where at least 94 people lost their lives.
