On Monday, Italian authorities announced the arrest of 13 suspected members of a human trafficking network operating from the Middle East and South Asia to Italy and France.

The suspects, of Iraqi, Pakistani, and Afghan nationality, were apprehended in multiple Italian cities including Bologna, Rome, and Milan.

Investigators uncovered a criminal organization based in Turkey and Iraq, with operations in Italy, France, and Greece, focused on the sea transport of irregular migrants.

The migrants are believed to have come from countries such as Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Syria, and Lebanon, arriving at the Calabrian coast.

The organization reportedly had a network of compatriots who housed the migrants in Crotone and arranged their travel to the Franco-Italian border, where smugglers helped them cross through Ventimiglia.

Smugglers assisted these migrants in crossing into France via the Ventimiglia area.

Three commercial properties in Ventimiglia, Rome, and Milan were seized, suspected of facilitating illegal money transfers through the 'hawala' system, which is more challenging to trace than traditional banking methods.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni praised the arrests, emphasizing her government's commitment to dismantling criminal networks and eradicating illegal human trafficking.

The suspects face charges of criminal association and money laundering as part of the investigation led by prosecutors in Catanzaro, Calabria.