An Eritrean man accused of operating a vast human trafficking network funneling people from Africa to Europe has been extradited to Italy from Sudan. It is the first time Italy has captured a top trafficking boss.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/Str
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Medhanie Yehdego Mered, 35, was flown to Italy on Monday night after being arrested in May by Sudanese intelligence services in Khartoum, Italian police said in a statement released on Wednesday.
"Mered is accused of being the advocate and boss of one of the most important criminal groups operating in central Africa and Libya that smuggles people first across the Sahara Desert and then the Mediterranean Sea," prosecutor Francesco Lo Voi said.
Known as "The General," Mered has been on Europe's most wanted list since 2015. His capture, which involved the support of Italian and British law enforcement, is the first time Italy has been able to nab a top human trafficker in Africa.
Italian police said Mered was in a "senior position in a criminal network operating in several continents," but particularly in northern Europe.
Deadly week in Mediterranean
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"He directed operations not only in Africa, but also kept fellow operators in Italy up to date on the arrival of boats, to enable the migrants to continue to their final destinations [in Europe]," police said.
Mered is alleged to have worked with Ghermay Ermias, an Ethiopian who is still at large. Together they are suspected of having raked in millions of euros sending migrants across the Mediterranean in unseaworthy boats, often with deadly consequences.
Britain's National Crime Agency said it holds Mered responsible for the drowning of 359 migrants when a boat sank off the southern Italian island of Lampedusa in 2013.
Italy has been at the forefront of the migrant crisis hitting Europe. Since the beginning of 2014 nearly 350,000 migrants have embarked on rickety boats across the Mediterranean from Libya, trying to reach Europe.
Tens of thousands of Africans have paid traffickers to cross the Sahara before making the boat trip to EuropeImage: Reuters/Akintunde Akinleye
Tracking down human smugglers in Africa is made more difficult by anonymous trafficking cells, instability, corruption and the difficulty of finding reliable partners on the ground.
cw/sms (AP, AFP, Reuters)
Dramatic images of capsized migrant boat
The Italian Navy has captured the moment when a heavily overcrowded boat capsized off the coast of Libya. The Navy rescued 562 people, including all of the children on board.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Italian Navy/Handout
Common mistake
Migrants on board the blue fishing vessel rushed to one side of their boat when they spotted a rescue ship. As a result, the boat listed sharply to one side, then capsized, and later began to sink. Such sudden movements of people aboard ships are responsible for numerous tragic incidents in the Mediterranean.
Image: Reuters/Marina Militare
Dropping like stones
Once the boat tipped to a vertical position, people fell into water like stones, Navy personnel reported. The mishap happened some 18 nautical miles off the coast of Libya on Wednesday.
Image: Reuters/Marina Militare
Belly up
Moments later, the fishing vessel capsized completely, prompting migrants to swim away from the boat.
Image: Reuters/Marina Militare
Rescue operation
Two Italian Navy ships – the Bettica and Bergamini – first helped drowning migrants with life jackets and rafts. Later, the rescued people were taken to Sicily, where nearly 40,000 migrants have arrived so far this year.
Image: Reuters/Marina Militare
Casualties
At least five migrants drowned in the incident. The Italian Navy managed to rescue 562 people, including 43 children, 10 of whom were babies rescued by the Navy ship Bettica.
Image: Reuters/Marina Militare
Sad Figures
According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), at least 1,370 migrants have died so far this year trying to make the perilous sea journey to Europe.
Image: Reuters/H. Amara
Matter of concern
European officials are concerned that with the onset of better weather a fresh flood of migrants will try to make the dangerous journey from Libya to Europe. The majority of those using Libya as a springboard to reach Europe are from sub-Saharan Africa.
