A London court has handed down a 25-year prison sentence to an Egyptian man, Ahmed Ebid, for his role in smuggling individuals from North Africa to Italy. Ebid, who illegally entered the U.K. in October 2022, was found guilty of conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration at Southwark Crown Court. Judge Adam Hiddleston emphasized Ebid’s pivotal involvement in an organized crime syndicate, driven by a profit-centric agenda in the realm of human trafficking. Ebid’s illicit operations spanned from his arrival in Britain to June 2023, encompassing seven perilous boat crossings as part of a 12 million-pound ($16 million) venture that transported 3,781 individuals, including minors, to Italian shores from North Africa. The National Crime Agency of Britain revealed shocking details, with some survivors disclosing that Ebid had ordered the disposal of anyone caught with a mobile phone by instructing an associate to kill and discard them at sea. Jacque Beer, an official from the agency, condemned Ebid’s exploitation of migrants’ desperation, labeling his actions as preying on vulnerable individuals to ferry them across the Mediterranean in hazardous vessels. One incident on October 25, 2022, saw over 640 people rescued by Italian authorities after embarking on a treacherous journey across the Mediterranean in a wooden boat, resulting in two fatalities. Tim Burton, a specialist prosecutor with the Crown Prosecution Service, criticized Ebid’s repeated engagement in facilitating life-threatening voyages, highlighting his blatant disregard for the safety of thousands subjected to perilous conditions. Africa News, in collaboration with AP, reported on this significant development in the battle against human smuggling operations.
London Court Sentences Egyptian Man to 25 Years for Smuggling People to Italy
