They allegedly organized dozens of clandestine trips for two years. Eleven people suspected of having set up, for two years, a clandestine immigration channel between Italy and France, are tried until Friday by the criminal court of Lyon.
The defendants, mostly from West Africa, appear for assistance with irregular stay in an organized gang and association of criminals. They are prosecuted for the roles of drivers, touts or sponsors. Five are detained, a sixth is the subject of an arrest warrant.
This file investigated by the specialized interregional jurisdiction (JIRS) of Lyon relates to the organization of dozens of clandestine trips between 2016 and 2018 between Turin (Italy) and the Paris region, via the Alps. According to judicial information, migrants of African origin had to pay 300 to 350 euros for a journey from Turin station.
Most trips made at night
Migrants in an irregular situation were first conveyed by road, in vans passing through the Mont-Blanc or Fréjus tunnels in the Savoy departments, and the Montgenèvre or Larche passes in the Hautes-Alpes.
After several interceptions, the investigation made it possible to locate another route passing through Nice. Drivers indicated that they then received 50 euros per passenger to make the trips, most often at night. Renter of many vehicles used by the network, a Chinese national from the Paris region is among the defendants.
From 2017 to early 2018, the network then opted for rail journeys, to avoid roadside checks. Intermediaries were identified in Nice, responsible for driving migrants between the station and a city park, before directing them to the airport bus station, where they took the bus towards the Paris region.
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- Lyon
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- illegals
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