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Italian found with 33 Syrian refugees in van

Patrick Browne
Patrick Browne - [email protected]
Italian found with 33 Syrian refugees in van
An Italian man has been arrested in Hungary on suspicion of human trafficking after 33 Syrian refugees were found in his van. Photo: Alberto Pizzoli/AFP

UPDATED: An Italian man arrested in Hungary after 33 Syrian refugees were found in his van could have earned up to €1,000 thousand for each person, an Italian criminologist told The Local.

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The 52-year-old was driving his Fiat Ducato towards Germany when he was stopped by police near Lake Balaton, near Budapest, La Repubblica reported.

The Hungarian authorities found the refugees, including women and children, packed into the back of the van and arrested the man on suspicion of human trafficking.

 “Thirty-three in the back of a Fiat Ducato is pretty cramped,” Italian criminologist Andrea Di Nicola told the Local.

“But for an operation like this the smuggler could earn up to €1,000 for each refugee.”

During questioning, the man reportedly claimed to have merely been "offering a lift" to the refugees.

Cases of Italians being involved in smuggling people across borders date back to the early 1990s. But with the ever-growing number of migrants arriving on European shores, people smuggling is becoming a lucrative earner for ordinary Italians and other Europeans, Di Nicola added.

“Ordinary Italians, and other EU citizens who get involved with people smuggling are often the smallest links in a massive chain run by organized criminal gangs,” he said.

Italy's ambassador to Hungary is looking into the incident.

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