As part of Operation Medusa, the Italian judiciary has succeeded in comprehensively dismantling an internationally active smuggling network. A total of 25 people were arrested and 43 others placed under investigation. The investigations were carried out by the Reggio Calabria public prosecutor's office. Together with special police units, it had been gathering information on criminal structures for years.
The focus is on a complex organized network that is said to have brought migrants, primarily from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Syria and the Kurdish regions, to Italy via Turkey. The smuggling was mainly carried out by sailboat. This method was deliberately chosen by the perpetrators to avoid controls at sea and bring larger groups to the coast of Calabria inconspicuously. According to the investigators' findings, at least thirty such crossings have taken place since 2017, with a total of around 2,000 people reaching Italy.
The migrants are said to have paid between 6,000 and 8,000 euros per crossing. The income from human trafficking is estimated at around ten million euros. Investigators also seized cash, property and other assets amounting to around 3.3 million euros. According to the authorities, the use of informal payment systems such as Hawala, through which money flows were concealed and international transfers were processed, was particularly conspicuous.
According to the investigators, the network consisted of several criminal groups, each with clearly defined areas of responsibility. While some members were responsible for organizing the departures in Turkey, others were responsible for transporting the migrants by sea or accommodating them in Italy. Those involved were mainly people from Georgia, Ukraine, Turkey and Moldova, including boat drivers as well as logisticians and middlemen.
Operation Medusa is considered to be the result of intensive international cooperation. In addition to Italian authorities, Eurojust, Europol, Interpol and police units from other European countries were also involved. The exchange of information made it possible to establish links to further investigations in other countries.
The Italian authorities see the dismantling of the network as an important success in the fight against organized smuggling across the Mediterranean. Investigations are ongoing as they are looking into whether other people or structures could be involved in the group's activities.
