Police have arrested suspected people smugglers they say made €30 million ($33.1 million) from taking migrants across the Mediterranean.
The gang relied mainly on Egyptian skippers to transport about 3,000 people in sailing boats, each paying €10,000, from Turkey to Italy and Greece, said Europol, the EU’s law enforcement agency.
Police arrested two members in Italy, one in Germany, one in Albania, one in Turkey and one in Oman, while an arrest warrant was issued for another suspect in custody in Italy.
The investigation into the gang began after an incident in May 2022, when Italian authorities intercepted a sailing vessel off the country’s coast. The vessel, operated by Egyptian captains, was alleged to have left Turkey with 87 Afghan and Syrian migrants.
“Italian authorities uncovered a series of similar transports in various regions, orchestrated by the same criminal network,” said Europol.
The Egyptian criminal network is believed to have had cells in Turkey, Egypt, Greece and Italy, with members responsible for different tasks.
Each member of the gang had responsibility for recruiting skippers, communicating with illegal migrants through social media and instant messaging platforms, transferring money and providing temporary shelter along the way.
According to Europol, Egyptians have increasingly been involved in smuggling on routes into and throughout the EU, including the Mediterranean and the western Balkan routes.
Among them is UK-based people smuggler Ahmed Ebid who admitted organising crossings from Libya to Italy.
He was living in Isleworth, London, at the time of his offences. He pleaded guilty to people-smuggling offences.
The court was told that Ebid made more than £12 million ($15.5 million) from sending thousands of migrants across the Mediterranean in an operation he ran from his London home.
The former fisherman was linked to the smuggling operation after he made phone calls to satellite phones on board the migrant boats.
Those numbers were then used to call the Italian coastguard telling it the location of the migrant ships, so they could be towed to safety and those on board taken ashore.
The arrests of the Egyptian gang come after two Syrians suspected of smuggling hundreds of migrants across the Mediterranean were arrested in Libya in a joint operation with the NCA.
In what the agency describes as the “most significant arrest”, Libyan police detained a “significant member” of a suspected Syrian people-smuggling network alleged to have moved “at least 2,000 people” into Europe using fragile fibreglass boats.
When his phone was examined after his arrest on March 12 there was evidence that suggested the end destination for some of those travelling would have been the UK.
Two days earlier, police in Sabratha arrested another Syrian, who is suspected of arranging the transport of about 400 migrants. He is alleged to have been part of a network involved in the large-scale smuggling of people in boats
Community Shield info
Where, when and at what time Wembley Stadium in London on Sunday at 5pm (UAE time)
Arsenal line up (3-4-2-1) Petr Cech; Rob Holding, Per Mertesacker, Nacho Monreal; Hector Bellerin, Mohamed Elneny, Granit Xhaka, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain; Alex Iwobi, Danny Welbeck; Alexandre Lacazette
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger
Chelsea line up (3-4-2-1) Thibaut Courtois; Cesar Azpilicueta, David Luiz, Gary Cahill; Victor Moses, Cesc Fabregas, N'Golo Kante, Marcos Alonso; Willian, Pedro; Michy Batshuayi
Chelsea manager Antonio Conte
Referee Bobby Madley
Family reunited
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was born and raised in Tehran and studied English literature before working as a translator in the relief effort for the Japanese International Co-operation Agency in 2003.
She moved to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies before moving to the World Health Organisation as a communications officer.
She came to the UK in 2007 after securing a scholarship at London Metropolitan University to study a master's in communication management and met her future husband through mutual friends a month later.
The couple were married in August 2009 in Winchester and their daughter was born in June 2014.
She was held in her native country a year later.
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre turbo 4-cyl
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Power: 190bhp
Torque: 300Nm
Price: Dh169,900
On sale: now
Key products and UAE prices
iPhone XS
With a 5.8-inch screen, it will be an advance version of the iPhone X. It will be dual sim and comes with better battery life, a faster processor and better camera. A new gold colour will be available.
Price: Dh4,229
iPhone XS Max
It is expected to be a grander version of the iPhone X with a 6.5-inch screen; an inch bigger than the screen of the iPhone 8 Plus.
Price: Dh4,649
iPhone XR
A low-cost version of the iPhone X with a 6.1-inch screen, it is expected to attract mass attention. According to industry experts, it is likely to have aluminium edges instead of stainless steel.
Price: Dh3,179
Apple Watch Series 4
More comprehensive health device with edge-to-edge displays that are more than 30 per cent bigger than displays on current models.
