Italy arrests trafficking ring leader wanted by France

Rome: Police in the southern Italian city of Crotone have arrested the suspected ringleader of a human trafficking network who was sentenced in France to ten years in prison for criminal association.

Italian police in Crotone have apprehended a 42-year-old Nigerian national suspected of leading Arrow Baga – Supremes Vikings, a notorious human trafficking network active in France for several years. The suspect, identified as A.D., was arrested on January 17 under a European arrest warrant.

A.D. had managed to flee France despite being sentenced by a Marseilles court to ten years in prison for criminal association related to clandestine immigration, extortion, and sexual violence.

The arrest happened as part of stepped-up clandestine immigration activities ordered by local police commissioner Renato Panvino. The police, who have long specialized in countering irregular migration to Italy, spotted the man near the police headquarters in an area often visited by foreign nationals seeking to regularize their legal status.

On seeing the police, the man showed signs of concern and tried to leave the area. This raised suspicion.

Authorities confirmed that A.D. was the head of Arrow Baga – Supremes Vikings, a dangerous Nigerian gang based in Marseilles. The group is implicated in a range of crimes, including human trafficking, prostitution, extortion, and acts of violence often involving firearms. The suspect is now in custody awaiting extradition to France.