DUBAI: Kidane Habtemariam, an Eritrean national wanted for migrant smuggling, human trafficking and other related crimes, was arrested as part of a nine-month international police operation led by the UAE in cooperation with INTERPOL.
Habtemariam, who had been hiding since 2021, was one of the most wanted traffickers at the time of his capture.
The Eritrean national is the alleged leader of a criminal organization that has kidnapped, abused and extorted East African migrants to smuggle them into Europe. He is believed to have smuggled and trafficked thousands of victims in recent years.
Based on information shared by INTERPOL’s Human Trafficking and Smuggling of Migrants unit last year, the UAE launched an investigation into members of Habtemariam’s network, including his own brother, who laundered money on his behalf. As a result of the illegal financial transactions unearthed by UAE law enforcement, officers were able to track down Habtemariam in Sudan.
His brother, Henok Zekarias, was also arrested for his involvement, UAE Interior Minister Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al-Nahyan announced via Twitter on Sunday.
“Smuggling and trafficking human beings is an appalling crime, and we have now shut down one of the most important trafficking routes into Europe, which illegally moved thousands of migrants from Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia and Sudan, through Libya and into Europe,” UAE Federal Anti-Narcotics Director-General Saeed Abdullah Al-Suwaidi said.
