Networks organizing illegal immigration from Algeria to Europe are said to have entrusted the piloting of boats bound for Sardinia to people with disabilities, in an attempt to evade criminal liability and evade authorities . This is what emerged from an investigation in Annaba , eastern Algeria, where last week the Coast Guard arrested 15 people suspected of belonging to a criminal organization specializing in illegal crossings.
According to the Algerian Arabic-language newspaper El Khabar (the news), investigators believe that traffickers assigned the roles of boat pilots to people with disabilities, exposing them and other migrants to the risks of navigation. The crossings were organized in the Sidi Salem neighborhood, in the municipality of El Bouni, known for clandestine departures to Sardinia.
Investigations have also revealed that migrants paid between 500,000 and one million Algerian dinars (€3,311-€6,622) per person to reach the other side of the Mediterranean . Among those arrested are a man and his wife . In a related case, a man with a disability in one hand was sentenced to three years in prison and a fine for his involvement in organizing the crossings and for steering a boat on the orders of the alleged organizers. The latter, currently at large, were convicted in absentia and have arrest warrants. Investigations are continuing to identify those responsible for the organization and reconstruct the ramifications of the network, while authorities are trying to determine whether people with disabilities were also involved for the purpose of circumventing Algerian law, which punishes clandestine departure from the country.