An Egyptian man has been arrested in the UK on suspicion of organising the trafficking of thousands of migrants across the Mediterranean from North Africa to Italy.
The 40-year-old was detained in west London by National Crime Agency officers and is now being questioned in relation to an illegal immigration operation he allegedly ran from Britain.
According to the NCA, investigators believe he was working with people-smuggling networks in north Africa to organise boats to bring over hundreds of migrants at a time.
He is also suspected of maintaining communication with criminal associates during the crossings.
The NCA has worked closely with the Guardia di Finanza in Italy, which has been at the front line in the fight against the trafficking of migrants across the Mediterranean.
Darren Barr, senior investigating officer at the NCA, said: “People-smuggling is an international problem and tackling this at every step of the route is a priority for the NCA.
“We suspect this man has been running his operation from the UK, and masterminding the smuggling of thousands of migrants.
“The type of boats organised crime groups use for crossings are death traps, and sadly many people have died after incidents in the Mediterranean, which demonstrates the level of danger.
“We will continue to share intelligence and take action with partners to prevent crossings and arrest people smugglers here and overseas.”
The suspect is believed to have been involved in three specific crossings.
In October, more than 640 migrants were rescued by Italian authorities after they attempted to cross in a wooden boat from Libya, which was taken into port in Sicily.
In another operation, 265 migrants were rescued by the Italian coastguard from a 20-metre fishing boat found adrift in the Mediterranean in early December, having set off from Benghazi, Libya.
This April two further search and rescue operations were mounted following distress calls to the coastguard. More than 600 migrants were on board each boat.
The UN has registered more than 20,000 deaths and disappearances in the central Mediterranean since 2014, making it the most dangerous migrant crossing in the world.
More than 400 migrants and refugees drowned in early 2023 while attempting to cross the central Mediterranean from North Africa to Europe, the most fatalities over a three-month period in the past six years, according to the UN.
Boats often leave from Libya, undertaking the deadliest route across the Mediterranean, which has claimed the lives of more than 17,000 people since 2014, according the International Organisation for Migration.
In February, at least 73 migrants were reported missing and presumed dead following a shipwreck off the Libyan coast.
Seven survivors made it to shore from the boat, which was carrying around 80 people heading to Europe, the IOM said.
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What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
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