An interviewed migrant said: "Through facebook, and precisely on a page dedicated to Syrian refugees in the world, I learned that there was the possibility of reaching Europe, illegally, therefore through the social network, I asked for the number of phone to contact them, and it was provided to me. On July 12th I called that number and to the person who answered I asked for the modalities for the crossing: we needed 2,700 US dollars per person and that the children were included in the price. The same man told me that the checks by the Egyptian police were pressing and that he would make himself heard at the right moment ".
After the arrest of the 7 smugglers, during the night, in anticipation of a possible repatriation, there was a revolt of the Egyptians at the CPSA (First Aid and Reception Center) in Pozzallo (RA), destroying windows and vandalizing the structure. In the early hours of yesterday, the police managed to put the situation under control and 50 Egyptians, including smugglers, were repatriated and will be handed over to the Egyptian police.
To date, only in 2014 the state police have arrested 87 smugglers and numerous collaborative activities are underway with the other Sicilian police stations (coordinated by the central operational service), in order to allow information exchanges useful for managing investigations on migrant smuggling. from the coasts of North Africa to the Italian ones.
Monica Palermo
Source: State Police (Ragusa Police Station)
