BERLIN: Germany on Wednesday extradited to Italy an Eritrean man who is wanted on suspicion of being part of a migrant smuggling syndicate operating in Africa and Europe.
The suspect landed at Rome‘s Fiumicino Airport after departing from Frankfurt.
He was wanted in an investigation that led to the arrests in April 2015 of 24 Eritrean, Ethiopian, Ghanaian, Guinean, and Ivorian nationals whom police said were part of a criminal ring that made “enormous profits” by smuggling “several hundred migrants” into Europe on the central Mediterranean route from Libya into Italy.
The ring had cells in several African and European countries, seeking out potential migrants and organizing every step of their voyage, from their villages of origin to the coasts of Libya – near the port cities of Tripoli and Zuwara – to final destinations that included Germany, Norway and Sweden.
The man was part of the Italian cell of the criminal network operating in Sicily and was on an Interpol list of the most dangerous fugitive migrant traffickers, police said.
Migrant smugglers often traffic their “passengers” in dangerous and inhumane conditions, sometimes exploiting them for years after they reach their destinations, according to Interpol.
