Tunisia – Dismantling of human trafficking and money laundering network: details

The General Directorate of the National Guard declared that, based on the availability of information revealing the involvement of a group of individuals within an active network between the governorates of Sfax and Nabeul in the area of the sale and transport of iron prepared for the manufacture of iron ships and the organization of clandestine migrations to the European area, the intelligence units of the district of the National Guard in Jebniana took over, within the framework of work of the joint security forces with the Second Central Intelligence Division, and under the oversight of the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Sfax, carrying out several field and technical inquiries which lasted approximately two months.

These investigations resulted in the disclosure of all parts of this network, and it turned out that this network is led by a person who was the subject of 7 wanted notices, who used the identity of his deceased brother in all of its financial transactions and contributed to the manufacture of hundreds of iron boats that were exploited in illegal migration operations.

This network is made up of organizers of illegal migration operations, truck drivers accountable for delivering large quantities of iron intended for the manufacture of iron boats, in addition to two individuals who own points of sale of iron equipment, one of whom deliberately falsified invoices to facilitate the transport of quantities of iron to the town of Jebniana, using the tax identification numbers of companies he had previously dealt with to mislead security units on the destination of the quantities of iron and their true beneficiaries.

The investigative work continued in coordination with the central intelligence units and their counterparts from Nabeul, Gabès, Grombalia, Djerba, Médenine, and the services of the regional trade directorate of Nabeul, and resulted in the arrest of 10 people, to the seizure of 4 trucks planned to transport iron to the Jebniana region, as well as a car used to detect security patrols, and the seizure of a significant number of invoices worth transactions with a financial amount of about one billion and 500 thousand dinars, including acquisitions of iron materials planned for the manufacture of iron boats, and the lifting of some economic violations, the most important of which is the carrying out commercial operations by devious means by issuing additional invoices or invoices that do not conform to reality.

By referring the investigations and the 10 prisoners to the attention of the Sfax Public Prosecutor’s Office, 9 arrest warrants were issued in their regard, including that of the owner of the iron sales point.