Ethiopian police arrest 22 in human trafficking crackdown

Ethiopian police have arrested 22 people accused of smuggling nearly 2,000 migrants, in a network that reportedly caused at least two deaths and earned millions for those involved.

Ethiopia is a key departure point for migrants heading to the Gulf and Europe and is known for human trafficking and scams.

Authorities said the suspects ran “criminal gangs” and gave migrants false promises of a better life in Europe after crossing through Libya. Instead, migrants were held in warehouses, forced to contact their families for ransom, and effectively kept hostage until payment.

The gang is believed to have made over 2.16 billion birr ($13 million) from smuggling around 1,800 people, resulting in at least two deaths and 15 disappearances.

In August, Ethiopia sentenced five traffickers to death, though the country has not carried out an execution since 2007, according to the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty.