A man wanted in Belgium to face charges of human trafficking has been arrested in Italy. The man, aged 29 and an Albanian national, was picked up by carabinieri in the village of Monteroni d’Arbia near Siena, reports the newspaper Corriere di Siena.
The man was subject to a European arrest warrant issued by a Belgian court. His wife moved to the village only two months ago, and the Italian authorities assumed it was only a matter of time before he visited her. Her home was staked out, and when he did show up, police wee on hand to arrest him.
He will now face charges of making up part of an Albanian conspiracy of human trafficking: organising the traffic of migrants from Asia and Africa to Belgium, usually for further transport on to the United Kingdom. Investigators of the illegal trade in human beings consider the man to be one of the leading figures in this particular conspiracy, but just as they were preparing to take action, he disappeared from the police radar. An international arrest warrant was issued, and Italian police chanced to discover the whereabouts of his wife. Considering her to be his weak spot, they shadowed her until as expected he showed up – running straight into the local police.
His extradition to face trial in Belgium, where he faces a possible prison sentence of 20 years if found guilty, is considered a formality.
Alan Hope
The Brussels Times
