Milano: Association aimed at facilitating illegal immigration, 10 Egyptian citizens arrested

The State Police of Milano in the early hours of yesterday morning he carried out a Arrest order for a person suspected of a crime ordered by the Public Prosecutor's Office Milano- District Anti-Mafia Directorate - against 10 subjects of Egyptian origin, investigated in various capacities for the crimes of criminal association, aiding and abetting illegal immigration and unlawful exercise of credit activity.

In particular, the investigation activity conducted by personnel of the Flying Squad of Milano and of the Central Operations Service, with the support of EUROPOL analysts within the Italian-led Operational Task Force Mediterranean, has allowed the collection of criminal evidence regarding the presence in the Lombard capital of a partnership, having a transnational character and composed of several subjects of Egyptian origin, dedicated to illegal transfer of migrants, always of Egyptian nationality, on the national territory and on that of other European countries, via boats that set sail from the Libyan coast.

The investigations, started in July 2023, have highlighted the presence of a Milanese cell inserted in a wider international criminal network, with ramifications in Egypt, Libya and other European countries, operating on two fronts: the facilitation of illegal immigration of Egyptian citizens and the related unlawful exercise of payment service provision activities.

In this context, individuals have emerged who, boasting specific experience and international connections, have created a consolidated network of contacts between referents operating in North Africa and Europe. In fact, the operations of people dedicated to the management of so-called safe houses present in Libya have been documented, to the procurement of goods necessary for the management of migrants during the months of their stay in Libyan territory (food, water, telephones, satellite phones, phone cards), to the collection of money for the payment of the various routes and to the identification of the boats used to cross the Mediterranean.

The consolidated modus operandi adopted by the criminal gang followed a precise operating scheme: the migrants, after having agreed, from Egypt, to depart, paid the imposed amounts to the facilitators present at Milano; they were subsequently moved to Libya across the Egyptian border by other accomplices present abroad; once they reached Libyan territory, the migrants were collected by Libyan facilitators and placed in the so-called safe houses located in various locations while waiting to depart. During this wait, which often lasted several months, sometimes even in degrading conditions, some migrants were also forced to make sudden transfers, to avoid the increasing controls of the Libyan authorities, aimed at countering illegal departures from that territory. After reaching Europe, in particular Greece or Italy, on boats not always able to sustain the crossing, the suspects sometimes worked to obtain residence permits for irregular migrants or to guarantee their transfer from Milano to other cities.

As for the facilitators present in North Africa, especially Egypt and Libya, it has been ascertained that they acted as real travel agencies, procuring the migrants, agreeing on the price and organizing the transfer to the final destination in Europe.

I am at least 8 the sea crossings traced back to the suspects, one of which landed in Lampedusa, an a Civitavecchia and 5 on the Greek coasts; a further journey, with destination the Italian coast, ended with a rescue activities, after the vessel was found to be no longer controllable and therefore to be ended up adrift.

The association's projections in Greece have allowed it to also start managing some transfers through the so-called Balkan route, to deal with the growing contrast to the maritime one.

The traffic of every single migrant headed towards Italy brought the organization a income ranging between 4000 and 6000 euros, mostly paid by relatives or friends. The route through Greece, on the other hand, meant for the migrants the payment of an amount between 3000 and 5000 euros.

For the payment of the agreed sum, the consolidated “fiduciary” method known as “hawala“, thanks to the presence, always in the area of Milano, of a family unit specialized in the aforementioned money transfer.

Hawala, as is known, is a informal money transfer system, based on trust, in which private individuals reach agreements with other private individuals and in which the transaction premium, i.e. the provision that is retained by the hawaladar, is typically higher than that charged by companies legally engaged in such cash transfer activities.

Finally, during the investigations, it emerged that some of the suspects recently tried to evade the regulations that, through the so-called flows decree, regulate the regular entry of foreign workers into Italy and other European countries.

The operation involved not only the Milanese area, but also other Italian provinces (Florence, Asti, La Spezia and Pavia) where some of the suspects subject to the arrest warrant were found.