The Eritrean disappeared from Darling Mineo, was captured in Worms. He is the man who hides in the heart of Europe the spoils of smugglers

PALERMO – The secret of human traffickers who control the Mediterranean route, the sea corridor between the Maghreb and the island of Lampedusa, is the heart of Europe. In a city of south-west Germany, Worms. Here he was hiding Mulubrahan gurum, Eritrean citizen of 41 years, accused by the Prosecutor of Palermo Franco Lo Voi, the added Maurizio Scalia and their pool, to be cashier of Medhanie Yehdego Mered, one of the four gentlemen of smuggling of migrants in Tripoli along with Abdul Razak, Ermias Ghermay, Wedi Issack. Gurum was missing for months from the reception center of Mineo, where he resided officially. Until 13 August when, in Worms, was arrested by the German police under a European arrest warrant issued in June by the judiciary Palermo (operation “Glauco II”) and thanks to a precise indication of the men of Renato Cortese, Director the Central Operations Service of the police.

The arrest of gurum, held in Germany awaiting extradition and confirmed to reporters the Lena from three different sources qualified Italian investigators and the prosecutor in Koblenz Mario Mannweiler (“The man was arrested in execution of a European warrant in a hotel Worms used as a temporary residence by the applicants “) has remained until now covered by the importance attached to the information that is believed to keep you. When arrested, the were in fact seized a computer and cell phones, from whose memories may now emerge decisive information to reconstruct not only the detail of one of the main smuggling networks in Europe, but, above all, where, in Germany, It is preserved and recycled their treasure. A treasure that has started talking with the prosecutors in Palermo and men’s head of Mobile Rodolfo Ruperti first “repented” of the network.

Nuredin Atta, Eritrean citizen as gurum. “Money traffickers Tripoli – said Atta – are not in Libya, but in Germany. And to manage them, in Frankfurt, is the wife of Ermias Ghermay, one of four major traffickers of Tripoli”. In Germany, where according to the information gathered by our police had arrived earlier in the year, gurum had dressed the role of a refugee fleeing war and misery. And in Germany, in fact, he had made, after the one in Italy, a second request for political asylum, by providing a false identity and claiming to have some relatives in Worms, with which he intended to rejoin. One thing seems certain. Gurum is the key to get to the treasure of the traffickers of Tripoli and rebuild the mechanism by which they decided the departures from Libya, their numbers, their economic return. “If you do not get confirmation of the payment can not leave,” you listen to one of his phone calls intercepted with Medhanie Yedego. Because not only the payment is anticipated, obviously, but especially traffickers they must be reflected in the country in which it is accredited through the instrument of the Hawala or the money transfer.

As indeed, in addition to the police investigation, confirmed in Brussels Mirjam van Reisen, expert of the smuggling of migrants from Eritrea and director of the think-tank “Europe External Policy Advisors” (EEPA): “The migrants pay a portion of the amount before the trip. The rest is paid by friends and relatives in their countries of destination, through services like Western Union or Money Gram. ” For the Italian magistrates “repentant” Atta said the method this way: “Of the amount of travel, between 2,000 and 2,500 dollars, only 5 percent is paid in cash in Libya. The rest must be paid abroad to abroad. And to confirm the success is simply a text message. ” The balance, for what so far has been able to reconstruct the investigation of the prosecutor of Palermo, normally arrives in countries like Germany, Sweden, Norway and England. And here it collected by cashiers who provide recycle. In interceptions becomes even generic reference to “international banks”, transfer “from Dubai to Europe, so we avoid the controls.” At constant exchange rates from dollars into euro and vice versa. And besides what he says Ermias Ghermay the phone lets you know that such orders of magnitude we are talking: “I earned so much money to live very well for 20 years, for every boat we send to Italy gain $ 80,000“. C ‘ It is more. While Europe shall in no particular order and is divided on the “units” of migrants to be received in each member country, the traffickers of “shares” have made ​​the cornerstone of their business.

“Two boats are Abdul Razak – comments Ermias Ghermay – Medhane are 1,000, 1,000 do not know who.” Explain the repentant Atta: “The four gentlemen of Tripoli do not conflict with each other, rather they collaborate.” At their table they decide “flows” and “shares” taking into account the development of the “market” and the balance of power between traffickers. Today, the most influential man in Tripoli has become Abdul Razak. “It’s the only one who has opened a branch in Benghazi,” said Atta. Beside him, sit precisely Ermias Ghermay, Medhanie Yehdego Mered (both chased by arrest warrants judicial Palermo) and Wedi Issack, the most mysterious of the four. The quality and thickness of this cartel and as far as the investigation into that person can bring (you are still looking for the responsibility for the massacre of 350 migrants who died in October 2013 off the coast of Lampedusa), moreover, is once again in evidence the wiretaps. Men working with Ermias have the nickname “colonels”. And at least two of the “colonels” of Ermias – mentioned in the conversations as “Yonas” and “Salomon” – live in Tel Aviv square where traffic channel the money paid as the price for the crossing of the Mediterranean of the “Falasha”, as they are called the Jews of Ethiopian origin fleeing from Africa. “They are the best customers – Yonas confides to one of the traffickers on the Libyan route – They pay more now.” And when they do not pay, they are seized. “I have eight Jews in my hands – explains Ermias Ghemay the phone – If you want to free them and continue their journey, I want you to pay relatives in Israel. Immediately.” THE LENA This investigation was conducted by Lena (Leading European Newspaper Alliance) of which the Republic is part with Die Welt, El Pais, Le Figaro, Le Soir, Tages Anzeiger and Tribune de Genève. The article you read was made ​​by: Carlo Bonini, Salvo Palazzolo, Vladimiro Polchi, Fabio Tonacci, Francesco Viviano, Alessandra Ziniti ( Republic ), Jean Marc Leclerc, Jean Jacques Mével ( Le Figaro ), Caroline Zurcher ( 24 heurs – Tribune de Genève ), Simone Schmid ( Tages Anzeiger ), Ileana Grabitz, Veronika Vollinger ( Die Welt) , Ann Charlotte Bersipont ( Le Soir ), Ana Carbajosa ( El Pais )