Three arrested for trafficking 500 migrants

(ANSA) - Messina, June 27 - Police on Friday arrested three people for illegally transporting 500 Eritrean refugees from the Libyan coast to the Sicilian coastal city Messina, where the migrants arrived in dilapidated boats Thursday. The three men accused of aiding and abetting illegal immigration are two Tunisians, Mohdi Almsri and Faras Lofti, ages 35 and 31, respectively, and an Egyptian, Asaid Ramodan, age 26.
    The men were identified after dozens of migrants spoke of lighter-skinned men who spoke Arabic.
    Passengers also said they had the option of either paying a lump sum of US $2,500 for the trip, or making two payments, one of $1,600 followed by $1,800. Authorities seized $300 from Lofti. The boats were intercepted on the open sea on Tuesday by the Italian navy and the Italian coast guard boats in Italy's Mare Nostrum sea-patrol-and-rescue operation.
    The administration of Italian ex-premier Enrico Letta set up Mare Nostrum to prevent further deaths at sea following two migrant ship disasters in October 2013 in which at least 400 people died.