PARIS: French authorities arrested 26 people and seized 11 million euros ($12 million) as they smashed a migrant trafficking ring suspected of bringing several thousand people from South Asia into France, border police told AFP on Thursday.
Charging between 15,000 and 26,000 euros per person, the traffickers are suspected of having smuggled several thousand people from India, Sri Lanka and Nepal into France since September 2021, the force said.
Authorities estimate the network generated several million euros in illegal profits, which were laundered through construction companies, gold trafficking and informal transfers of money back to South Asia.
The arrests took place between March and November 2024, said Julien Gentile, director of the French border force at Paris Charles De Gaulle airport.
“The smugglers facilitated migrants’ travel to the European Union via Dubai or African states, while providing them with illegally obtained tourist, work or medical visas,” said Gentile.
The head of the network is still at large, with France’s request for his extradition from Dubai yet to be agreed, according to the border force.
Of the 26 men arrested, 15 were placed in pre-trial detention with seven under judicial supervision.
The remaining four, who were recently arrested, were to be presented on Thursday to the investigating judge.
The 11 million euros’ worth of assets included properties, luxury cars, jewelry and gold.
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France arrests 26 as South Asian migrant trafficking ring smashed
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France arrests 26 as South Asian migrant trafficking ring smashed
- Traffickers are suspected of having smuggled several thousand people from India, Sri Lanka and Nepal
- Authorities estimate the network generated several million euros in illegal profits
Kenyan prosecution welcomes detention of UK ex-soldier over woman’s murder
Robert James Purkiss, 38, was remanded in custody by a judge after being arrested on Thursday
Purkiss is wanted in Kenya on suspicion of killing 21-year-old Agnes Wanjiru in 2012
NAIROBI: Kenya’s prosecution service on Saturday welcomed the detention of a British ex-soldier accused of murdering a woman in the east African country more than a decade ago.
Robert James Purkiss, 38, was remanded in custody by a judge after being arrested on Thursday, Britain’s National Crime Agency said in a statement.
Purkiss is wanted in Kenya on suspicion of killing 21-year-old Agnes Wanjiru in 2012, in a case that has caused diplomatic tensions between the two countries.
The body of the young mother was found in a septic tank two months after she reportedly went partying with British soldiers at a hotel in Nanyuki, a town in central Kenya where Britain has a permanent army garrison.
Kenya’s Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) welcomed the “significant development” in a statement on X, adding it was a result of an “extensive and coordinated effort” between the British and Kenyan authorities.
The ODPP “reiterates its unwavering commitment to pursuing justice for Agnes Wanjiru and her family, in collaboration with international partners, to ensure that those responsible are held fully accountable,” the statement added.
In September, a Nairobi High Court judge issued an arrest warrant for Purkiss, with local prosecutors saying extradition proceedings would be initiated to bring him before a Kenyan court.
Purkiss appeared in court on Friday, saying he did not consent to being extradited, the Press Association news agency reported.
The judge rejected his application for bail and ordered him to appear before the court again on November 14.
Purkiss is wanted in Kenya on suspicion of killing 21-year-old Agnes Wanjiru in 2012
NAIROBI: Kenya’s prosecution service on Saturday welcomed the detention of a British ex-soldier accused of murdering a woman in the east African country more than a decade ago.
Robert James Purkiss, 38, was remanded in custody by a judge after being arrested on Thursday, Britain’s National Crime Agency said in a statement.
Purkiss is wanted in Kenya on suspicion of killing 21-year-old Agnes Wanjiru in 2012, in a case that has caused diplomatic tensions between the two countries.
The body of the young mother was found in a septic tank two months after she reportedly went partying with British soldiers at a hotel in Nanyuki, a town in central Kenya where Britain has a permanent army garrison.
Kenya’s Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) welcomed the “significant development” in a statement on X, adding it was a result of an “extensive and coordinated effort” between the British and Kenyan authorities.
The ODPP “reiterates its unwavering commitment to pursuing justice for Agnes Wanjiru and her family, in collaboration with international partners, to ensure that those responsible are held fully accountable,” the statement added.
In September, a Nairobi High Court judge issued an arrest warrant for Purkiss, with local prosecutors saying extradition proceedings would be initiated to bring him before a Kenyan court.
Purkiss appeared in court on Friday, saying he did not consent to being extradited, the Press Association news agency reported.
The judge rejected his application for bail and ordered him to appear before the court again on November 14.
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