Human traffickers forced migrants to sell ORGANS to pay for journey from
Africa to Europe
* By Don Mackay <
http://www.mirror.co.uk/authors/don-mackay/>
* Oct 14, 2014 09:13 <
http://www.mirror.co.uk/by-date/14-10-2014>
Five people have been arrested as part of the probe into the gang, which
allegedly arranged the harvesting of kidneys and other organs of migrants
arriving in Europe by boat
An <
http://www.mirror.co.uk/all-about/illegal-immigrants> international
human trafficking ring forced migrants to sell their organs as payment for
their journey from Africa to Europe, an Italian police investigation has
revealed.
Five people have been arrested as part of the probe into the gang, which
allegedly arranged the harvesting of kidneys and other organs of migrants
arriving in Europe by boat.
Italy, with its southern-most province Lampedusa just 80 miles from Africa,
is the gateway for many seeking new lives in Europe.
Almost 150,000 have made the journey so far in 2014. Around 3,000 have died
attempting the journey this year.
The group of Libyans and Eritreans allegedly demanded that asylum seekers
pay £1,200 up front to board one of the often overcrowded and unseaworthy
boats.
Those who could not immediately pay the full price were given the option of
paying after arrival by working off the debt, or as organ donors, according
to court documents and police arrest warrants.
Investigating magistrate Tiziana Coccoluto described the migrants’ plight
was like that of slaves, with the gangsters also selling them off to other
criminal groups.
The gang’s ‘treasurer’ Michael Brhane, was among those arrested, along with
four other men - Haile Seifu, Russom Gebrem Michael Henok, and Tesfay Bahta
- who allegedly worked as cashiers collecting money owed in Italy.
The five face charges of human trafficking and aiding illegal immigration.
Police also suspect other gang members were responsible for the tragedy
which killed 300 people off the island of Lampedusa last year when a
66-foot-long fishing boat caught fire and sank with over 500 migrants on
board. Only 155 were later rescued.
The bodies of migrants missing organs are often found in the north African
Sinai desert, anti-trafficking activist Alganesh Fessaha has warned.
Last year, one of the world’s most wanted organ traffickers, Gedalya Tauber,
a retired Israeli police officer, was arrested in Rome.
He was previously convicted of recruiting from impoverished neighbourhoods
in Brazil buying kidneys for less than £2,000 for the mainoy-Israeli market.
The operation would then take place in a hospital in Durban South Africa
with clients paying as much as 20 times the sum received by the donor.
Received on Tue Oct 14 2014 - 17:24:54 EDT