Six arraigned over human trafficking racket
Two persons allegedly linked to a human trafficking racket were remanded in custody on Wednesday while four others, who admitted to assisting their “smuggled” relatives, including a mother with a 4-month old baby, were handed a suspended sentence. Roger Mangion, a 64-year old pensioner from Birzebbuga and Mohamed Derbel, a 46-year old Tunisian sailor resident in Birkirkara, pleaded not guilty to involvement in a criminal organisation linked to the trafficking of persons in or out of Malta. The court was told that police investigations were sparked by the arrival of a boat ferrying illegal migrants at Delimara on September 14 at around 3.30am, disembarking the group near the power station. The police investigated calls made in the area at the time of the incident, successfully tracking down one number linked to a foreign national who was arrested and arraigned on September 20, admitting to his involvement in the racket. The man later testified, saying that he had been acting on Derbel’s instructions. During Wedneady's arraignment, the prosecution said that the boat involved in that incident was the Madonna tal-Karmnu I which was registered in the name of Mangion. Derbel was...