An Afghan national was arrested on Sunday (October 31) by police in the northwestern Italy on charges of being a smuggler helping migrants to cross the border with France clandestinely. The arrest was made after an investigation by border police.

A group of foreigners, who had gathered in the woods in the Salbertrand area while waiting for an auspicious moment to get onto vehicles, had been noticed. At the time of the arrest, six of them had already been inside a trailer, while nine others were waiting.

The drivers of the lorries were found to have been unaware of what was happening. The foreign nationals were taken to a border police station to be identified and to receive assistance. The Afghan was arrested on charges of aiding and abetting irregular immigration.

200 reports and 168 arrested in a year in Bardonecchia

According to the Italian border police that conducted the arrest, 200 people had been reported to the police this year as a result of activities to counter irregular migration by the Bardonecchia border police. An additional 168 had been arrested and 781 foreign nationals had been readmitted into the country, it added.

The police office has been operative since June 28, 2021 and is tasked with border control between Italy and France.

Its activities are based on a system of cooperation and information exchange with their French counterparts, including through joint patrols along the mountain axes of Frejus, Monginevro and Moncenisio.