Italy breaks up migrant smuggling ring, eight arrested

ROME – Italian police said on Aug 6 they arrested eight people as they broke up a human smuggling ring that ferried migrants from Algeria to the island of Sardinia.

The group allegedly used small boats to take about a dozen people at a time from the Algerian port of El Kala to Sardinia’s southern coast.

Migrants paid up to €2,500 euros (S$3,700) each to make the dangerous journey, police said, adding they had documented at least five crossings in recent months.

The eight suspects, all Algerians and including the alleged ringleader – an asylum-seeker residing in Sardinia – were arrested in a series of raids.

About 100 law enforcement officers took part in the operation dubbed “Phantom” as the group was planning to purchase fast vessels to scale up its operations and smuggle drugs, police said.

The ring had ties to Algeria and France, home to the organisation’s main financier, they added. Most of the migrants came from Algeria and Tunisia.

“In Sardinia there was a network responsible for receiving migrants, producing forged documents and providing operational support to its associates,” the police said.

Those arrested face charges including criminal association aimed at aiding illegal migration and forging documents.

Almost 17,000 migrants have arrived in Italy by boat so far in 2026, down from 37,000 over the same period in 2025, according to the interior ministry. AFP