Members of Migrant Trafficking Ring Captured by Police After “El Rais” Operation in Sicily

 Three members of the criminal organization targeted by the "El Rais" operation, carried out by the Catania District Anti-Mafia Prosecutor’s Office, have been captured by police. The operation, which culminated on April 8 with the arrest of 15 individuals—all of Egyptian nationality—involved charges of criminal association aimed at migrant trafficking and facilitating illegal immigration.

The Trafficking Network and Its Profits

The three men arrested had initially escaped the raid. Among them is the right-hand man of the boss—his nephew—who held key operational responsibilities in managing the trafficking route that allegedly brought at least 3,000 people into Italy since 2021. The organization is believed to have profited around 30 million euros. One of the central figures is Assad Ali Gomaa Khodir, also known as "Abu Sufyen", an Egyptian national residing in Turkey, thought to be one of the major players in this migrant smuggling system from Asia Minor to Europe.

Investigations began in May 2022, triggered by the arrest of three foreign nationals who had arrived illegally at the commercial port of Augusta and were believed to be the “skippers” of a sailing boat carrying dozens of undocumented migrants from Turkey.

Landings in Sicily

The smuggling network operated between Egypt, Greece, and Turkey. However, according to investigations by police and Catania’s anti-mafia prosecutors, there was an operational cell in Italy. The migrant landings were concentrated primarily in southeastern Sicily, particularly between Portopalo di Capo Passero and Augusta.

The Smuggling System

The investigation uncovered a complex, stable, and far-reaching organizational structure that managed illegal immigration along the dominant eastern Mediterranean route. The system included the recruitment of professional skippers—almost all from Egypt—the logistical management of migrants, primarily from the Middle East and Asia (Syrians, Afghans, Palestinians), their temporary housing in Turkey while awaiting departure, and their subsequent transport to Italian shores aboard specially obtained sailing vessels.

These were typically 12–15 meter-long sailboats—designed to carry 20 to 25 people at most—used in decent operational condition but without any safety equipment. The boats were often overloaded with migrant numbers up to seven or eight times their intended capacity.