A suspected ringleader of a gang accused of smuggling thousands of people across the Mediterranean in "death trap" boats has been arrested in the UK. The 40-year-old man is alleged to have orchestrated crossings of hundreds of migrants at a time from North Africa into Italy. Officers from the National Crime Agency (NCA) detained the suspect on Wednesday afternoon as he was walking on a street in Hounslow, west London. The NCA says it has launched more than 90 investigations into organised immigration crime and smuggling networks. "We suspect this man has been running his operation from the UK and masterminding the smuggling of thousands of migrants.

Source: The North Africa Journal June 22, 2023 15:45 UTC