Organizers of migrant convoys between Italy and France sentenced in Nice

A joint investigation between French and Italian police officers has uncovered the trafficking of a small network of discreet smugglers who organized dozens of migrant convoys between the two countries, the Nice prosecutor’s office announced on Monday, July 29. Four men aged 20 to 30, arrested in June, were sentenced last week to prison terms ranging from one to four years. All are from Nice or its surroundings and some had already been recently convicted and imprisoned for similar acts, the prosecutor’s office said.

Based on information from the Italian authorities, an investigation opened in February established a link between touts identified by the Italian police in Ventimiglia and Bordighera, near the French border, and drivers identified by the French authorities. A joint investigation was therefore set up in May, under the aegis of the Nice and Imperia prosecutors’ offices, allowing for more flexible sharing of information as well as the sending of French investigators to Italy or vice versa.

She revealed the existence of a “particularly organized and active network, very cautious”which smuggled migrants using many different vehicles, almost always rentals. In total, 130 trips were identified between February and May, sometimes with several round trips in a convoy in a single night, for a remuneration of up to 200 euros per person transported. During an attempted arrest, the drivers did not hesitate to put the lives of their passengers in danger by refusing to comply and then abandoning the vehicles in the middle of the road.