Illegal immigrants’ smuggling in exchange for 5,000 ZDZ for each

Criminal Court of Algiers Judicial Council dealt on Tuesday with the case of a cell that is active in the smuggling of Algerian illegal immigrants towards Europe.

Four defendants from the west of Algeria are involved in the case, and are charged with the felony of organizing an evil group for the smuggling of migrants.

The case that was considered by the Criminal Court on Tuesday is dating back to June 2010, the date of the arrest of four accused, who are “Ch.Ahmed, S. Youcef, S.Nourddine and B. Rachid in Ben Aknoun, on boar of a Renault Clio type car, who are coming from Houari Boumediene International Airport.

After inspection of the car, security services found 31 passports for Algerians who came from the Western cities, and who traveled illegally to European countries, from Turkey.

After investigation, it was found that the accused “Ch. Ahmad” agreed with his brother, who is in escape from the Turkish security services, on the process of smuggling illegal immigrants to Europe, and helping them through sending their passports to Algeria, in exchange for a sum of money which is estimated to 5,000 ZDZ per person.

According to Tuesday’s trial hearing, the four defendants denied their relationship with the issue of human trafficking, and every one of them tried to repudiate of the criminal responsibility, as the main accused “Ch. Ahmed” confirmed that he went to the airport together with his friends, based on a phone call from his brother, who is currently in prison in Turkey, and who asked him to receive bags which contain clothes and gifts.

Although the judge faced him with the 31 passports, which were in the bag, but he was unable to give an explanation for its presence among the things.

As the criminal court’s chairman asserted that the passport belongs to the Algerians, who were able by helping the rest of the human trafficking cell members in Turkey, through crossing to Europe, and their role in Algeria is receiving passports and gave them to their families in exchange for varying amounts of money, but the accused insisted on denying these facts.