2023-12-07 07:29:00
Twelve defendants aged between 28 and 40 are being prosecuted before the Liège criminal court for international human trafficking in the context of helping illegal immigrants to reach Great Britain by crossing the Channel. Originality of this file, the migrants were embarked on overloaded sailboats at the risk of seeing themselves sink at sea. The boats supposed to contain four people actually contained around thirty! It seems that each time there were not enough life jackets for all the occupants with the obvious risks that this entails. The illegal immigrants were transferred by car to small ports in the Netherlands before making crossings to Great Britain. The suspects met in various cafes, including a cafe located in Jemeppe.
According to the federal prosecutor’s office, Altin, 40, an Albanian national, is at the head of this criminal organization. The man would have been called “the boss” by members of the organization. “I have nothing to do with this story,” explained the person concerned, who is accused by several protagonists of being at the head of this organization. “I don’t know why they say this. I insist, once again, I have nothing to do with this matter. I was imprisoned twice in France, but it was for theft. I came to Belgium to have a better life and not to do anything.”
Not enough life jackets!
However, other defendants specified that the person concerned had paid them money to carry out the transfers. Some explained that they received 350 euros for car transfers. In December 2019, fourteen people transported by the persons concerned were intercepted in Great Britain. The Belgian authorities were notified and an investigation began in association with the federal prosecutor’s office. Telephone tapping and observations were carried out. Following various investigative duties, searches were carried out in the Liège region. Most of the defendants come from the Liège region.
A man named “The Captain” is currently detained in Britain. One of the defendants admitted to having received 2,500 euros to rent a boat using his identity card. “I was asked to participate even though I really needed the money. It’s like the Devil called me. I agreed on the condition that it would not involve the transfer of drugs or weapons.” The man made a transfer by car and rented a sailboat. “I was told we were renting the boat for a birthday party. I didn’t know we were going to transport migrants. At first, I didn’t even know where we were going. I saw that we were arriving at a port. I didn’t know that these people didn’t have papers. There were problems with life jackets and I wanted them to be resolved. It was afterwards that I became aware of the danger. ”The court has scheduled several hearings to complete the case.
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