ADDIS ABABA, — Ethiopian police say they have arrested 22 suspects accused of running a large migrant-smuggling network that trafficked nearly 2,000 people, allegedly earning millions of dollars while leaving at least two migrants dead and others missing.
Authorities said the suspects operated as organised “criminal gangs,” luring would-be migrants with promises of safe passage and jobs in Europe. Instead, police allege the victims were routed through Libya, where they were held in warehouses and forced to contact relatives to pay ransom for their release—effectively turning the journey into a kidnapping-for-profit scheme.
Investigators estimate the network moved about 1,800 migrants and generated roughly 2.16 billion birr (about $13 million) from the operation. Police said the alleged scheme resulted in at least two deaths and 15 disappearances.
Ethiopia is a major departure point for migrants attempting perilous routes to the Gulf states and Europe, driven by conflict, unemployment and limited legal pathways. Human-rights monitors and international agencies have repeatedly warned that migrants transiting Libya face systematic abuse, extortion and forced labour at the hands of trafficking networks.
The latest arrests come as Ethiopian authorities intensify anti-trafficking enforcement. In August 2025, courts in Ethiopia issued death sentences to five people convicted of organised human trafficking—an unprecedented move in a country where executions are rare. Rights groups note Ethiopia’s last known execution was in 2007, underscoring how exceptional capital cases remain.
Police did not immediately disclose whether the newly arrested suspects will face federal trafficking charges, terrorism-related financial statutes, or organised-crime counts. They also did not identify any potential overseas collaborators, though the alleged Libya warehouse component suggests cross-border coordination.
Officials said further investigations are ongoing as authorities seek to identify additional victims, trace proceeds of crime, and dismantle remaining nodes of the network
