Naples, Aug. 21 (LaPresse) – Officers from the Central Operational Service and the Flying Squad of Trapani, assisted by the Pantelleria Port Authority, have detained four Romanian nationals on suspicion of aiding and abetting illegal immigration.
The investigation began after 17 undocumented migrants – 8 Iraqis and 9 Iranians – were located on the island of Pantelleria on August 1.
According to investigators, the case had unusual characteristics: the countries of origin of the migrants, who each paid around 15,000 US dollars to reach Italy, and the circumstances of their arrival led authorities to believe this was not a typical migrant landing.
In fact, the migrants were found wandering the island’s streets in broad daylight near a well-known accommodation facility, after being dropped off by the smugglers, who then sailed away aboard the vessel used for the crossing.
Later that same day, the Port Authority found and seized a boat left adrift, traced back to a boat rental company on the Trapani coast and rented by a Romanian citizen.
Investigations by the Central Operational Service and the Trapani Flying Squad reconstructed the dynamics of the illegal voyage; in particular, videos taken by the migrants during the crossing confirmed that the seized boat was indeed the one used for the landing.
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