Police on Wednesday executed warrants
for the arrest of 12 people allegedly part of a gang that ran
human-trafficking operations between Tunisia and Sicily on
"luxury" dinghies.
The suspects, six Italians and six Tunisians, are accused of
criminal association aimed at aiding and abetting illegal
immigration.
They gang allegedly had cells in Tunisia and Italy and operated
crossings for relatively small of groups of migrants, a maximum
of 20, between the North African country and the coast near to
the Sicilian city of Marsala.
The boats were powered with large motors so they could move
fast.
Migrants allegedly paid between 3,000 and 6,000 euros each per
crossing, considerably more than is usually paid for the journey
on packed boats that are often in a poor state of repair.
The suspects include a corrupt former Tunisian police officer.
The probe that discovered the rung had already led to the arrest
of eight alleged human traffickers, all Tunisian nationals,
detailed 'red-handed' following four migrant-boat lands between
June and September last year.
It is thought that the gang illegally brought 73 people to
Italy, including 12 minors and six women
Police arrested 19 of them for illegally re-entering Italy and
four in relation to definitive convictions for crimes regarding
property and drug dealing.
The police also seized four dinghies used by the gang.
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