France arrests 26 in South Asian migrant trafficking crackdown

FRENCH authorities have arrested 26 individuals and seized assets worth £9.2 million in connection with a migrant trafficking network suspected of smuggling thousands of people from South Asia into France.

The arrests were made between March and November 2024, according to Julien Gentile, director of the French border force at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport.

The traffickers reportedly charged between £12,500 and £21,700 per person to facilitate the movement of migrants from India, Sri Lanka, and Nepal to France since September 2021.

The network is believed to have generated millions in illegal profits, which were laundered through construction businesses, gold trafficking, and informal money transfers to South Asia.

“The smugglers facilitated migrants’ travel to the European Union via Dubai or African states, while providing them with illegally obtained tourist, work, or medical visas,” Gentile stated.

Fifteen of those arrested have been placed in pre-trial detention, while seven are under judicial supervision. Four others, detained more recently, were to appear before an investigating judge on Thursday.

French authorities also seized properties, luxury cars, jewellery, and gold worth £9.2 million. The suspects are accused of roles ranging from smuggling and money laundering to financial brokering.

The head of the network remains at large, with France awaiting approval of an extradition request from Dubai.

The arrests come as migration continues to be a contentious issue in France. Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau plans to visit Calais on Friday to discuss the migrant crisis with local mayors, who have requested increased police presence and tougher action against smuggling networks.

Retailleau will also meet with UK officials in December to address migration across the Channel, where at least 72 undocumented migrants have died attempting to cross this year.

In December 2023, concerns over a possible trafficking scheme led French authorities to detain a plane carrying hundreds of Indian passengers at Vatry Airport.

(With inputs from AFP)