Trapani: Tunisian fishing boat crew arrested for aiding illegal immigration

They were stopped by the State Police on charges of having allowed the irregular entry into Italy of 36 Tunisian migrants, the six members of the crew of the fishing vessel "Islam", flying the Tunisian flag, which had left the coast of Tunisia for arrive illegally in Italy.

On October 14th, around 10 am, it was reported sighting of people at sea who, by swimming, were desperately trying to reach the shore of the Boeo seafront in Marsala.

Not far from the coast it had been noticed a fishing boat that had run aground on the shallows of the port of Marsala. The immediate rescue operations had made it possible to ascertain that there were on board the fishing vessel more migrants blocked.

After being rescued, the migrants were first transferred at the port of Marsala and then at the Contrada Milo compound for the identification procedures.

The police officers of the Flying Squad of the Trapani Police Headquarters collected the statements of the shipwrecked people and thanks to a precise investigative activity they managed to identify those responsible for the trip who, in the meantime, had mixed in with the rest of the migrants.

The judicial police investigations, carried out by the agents, confirmed that the vessel, which had left Tunisia a few days earlier, had actually been used to transport migrants illegally.

The six Tunisian subjects were subjected to judicial police detention and taken to prison on charges of facilitation of illegal immigration, while the fishing vessel was seized.