![epa07712685 Medhanie Tesfamariam Bere (L), mistaken for being Medhanie Yehdego Mered and on charges of running one of the largest human trafficking gangs, reacts in the dock as he listens to the reading of the sentence during his trial at Ucciardone bunker hall in Palermo, Sicily Island, Italy, 12 July 2019. An Eritrean man arrested in Sudan and extradited to Italy in 2016 on charges of running one of the largest human trafficking gangs in Africa is the wrong man, a Palermo court said on 12 July. The man in the dock is not alleged trafficking kingpin Mered Medhanie Yedhego but actually Medhanie Tesfamariam Bere, a carpenter who is also involved in migrant trafficking and who has been sentenced to five years for abetting trafficking, the judges said. The court ordered Bere to be released. EPA/IGOR PETYX](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/7MLDNVOMHXCX3QGMRB7ILETFLU.jpg?smart=true&auth=998ee57e9c25f0bfafdb1d3520359d11ab8e2e6c246506dcca2dfc134caa1213&width=400&height=225)
Medhanie Tesfamariam Bere, mistaken for being Medhanie Yehdego Mered, faced charges of running one of the largest human trafficking gangs. EPA
Medhanie Tesfamariam Bere, mistaken for being Medhanie Yehdego Mered, faced charges of running one of the largest human trafficking gangs. EPA
After three years, Italian court rules Eritrean man not trafficking boss
Claims Medhanie Tesfamariam Berhe was not the notorious people smuggler dubbed 'the general' surfaced almost as soon as he was extradited to Italy
![The National](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/https%3A%2F%2Fs3.amazonaws.com%2Farc-authors%2Fthenational%2F9e2159fa-e4db-4215-b498-6b3607b75bee.png?smart=true&auth=cf728de2f2d93afc214682199f23d53c844677eb59567fe99abdb1c7e9f03161&width=70&height=70)
The National
13 July, 2019