Two human traffickers held in Italy
Rome, April 23 (IANS/AKI) Two Tunisian nationals suspected of trafficking 35 migrants from North Africa to the Italian island of Lampedusa have been arrested in southern Italy, police said.
Police, however, did not state as to where exactly the pair had been detained. But they said the arrests were made on the orders of a judge in Bari city following testimonies from migrants being held in the city detention centre.
Human traffickers are rarely caught, as they often manage to hide among the migrants and slip away when they reach land, officials said.
On Lampedusa, a tiny fishing island lying about 180 km from Tunisia, they often ditch their passengers at sea and turn around.
Over 26,000 Tunisian migrants have reached Lampedusa by boat since January after an unrest overthrew long-time president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.
–IANS/AKI
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