Police apprehended three
Ukrainian nationals on Tuesday on suspicion of migrant smuggling
to Italy.
Oleh Konieiev, 48, Vitalii Kudria, 38, and Artur
Nykyshenko, 24, were arrested on charges of favouring illegal
immigration in relation to the arrival of 38 Afghan, Syrian and
Iraqi migrants in the southern Calabrian port of Crotone earlier
in the day.
The migrants were transported to the port after being
rescued by Italian finance police and the British patrol boat
'Seeker' some 100 miles off the coast when their 12 m sailing
boat flying under the Russian flag started taking in water.
The migrants had reportedly paid approximately 6,000 euros
each for the passage from Turkey to Italy.
Investigators found a dinghy on board the sail boat that
was allegedly to be used by the traffickers to make their
get-away on approaching the Italian coast.
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