Algerian officials, according to local media, have eliminated an international network of migrant smugglers to Europe via Algeria.
On Wednesday, the central service for the fight against organized crime (SCLCO) detained and charged fifteen members of this network, nine Syrians and six Algerians.
According to Ennharonline, the nearly five-month probe allowed Algerian authorities to locate the network that carried migrants from Syria and Lebanon to Libya’s Benghazi airport.
According to these media, the migrants are then driven to the Libyan town of Ghadames, from where they are smuggled to Algeria via the border town of Debdeb, along winding desert trails.
According to Ennharonline, members of this network then arranged for the transfer of migrants to Oran, a big metropolis in western Algeria that serves as a gathering point for candidates for the clandestine passage to Europe.
To reach Europe, migrants have to pay “exorbitant” sums in foreign currency. During this operation, police seized about 11,000 dollars, 8,920 euros, and Lebanese and Syrian pounds.