71 arrested for committing migrant smuggling

CAIRO - 5 February 2019: The Administrative Control Authority (ACA) and the Ministry of Interior collaborated to arrest 71 defendants affiliated with four gangs involved in migrant smuggling in Cairo, Giza, Beheira, Kafr al-Sheikh, and Gharbeya on Tuesday.

The defendants have been smuggling Egyptians and refugees from other countries in the region into 14 European countries, the United States, and Canada.

The gangs used to forge documents that are issued by local and foreign governmental institutions such as marriage contracts, birth certificates, personal financial statements, bank statements, documents issued by the civil registry, complaints filed at police departments, and court verdicts.

The purpose was to manipulate foreign governments and convey that migrants are being subject to religious and political discrimination so they would get asylum, and support by human rights organizations.

Investigations indicated that the defendants had committed bribery, and illegal currency trading as they used to receive remittances by expats in foreign currencies, and deliver them to their families in Egyptian pound.

The results of investigations were submitted to the Public Prosecutor Nabil Sadek who issued arrest warrants against all defendants. Several coordination meetings were held by the ACA and the ministry to prepare for the arrests that were accomplished by the 300 security personnel. The defendants will be interrogated by the public prosecution before their cases are referred to court.