The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of Bangladesh Police has identified at least 18 criminal organisations moving migrants to Europe via Libya. Investigators have identified more than 119 suspected members. The news, first reported by the daily Bangladesh Pratidin, was picked up in Italy by the Nova news agency on 16 October.
How the networks operate
Local brokers recruit would-be migrants in villages and collect the money for the journey. Migrants are taken to North Africa and handed to accomplices in Libya, who either organise the sea crossing or hold them and demand more money from their families in Bangladesh.
Not all suspects have been arrested: several are abroad, and at least 48 people were left out of the charge sheets because full names and addresses were missing. The lead investigator, Sakhawat Hossain, said the mapping is still under way.
An open wound
The investigations also followed the Mizda massacre in Libya, where on 28 May 2020 smugglers killed 26 Bangladeshis held hostage. Meanwhile, Bangladesh remains the top nationality among sea arrivals in Italy in 2026.
The message for anyone thinking of leaving is clear: the irregular route means debt, violence and extortion. The only legal way to work in Italy is through the work-permit decree, with an application filed by a genuine employer.
