While heading from UAE to Nicaragua, I landed to refuel and got stranded.
Two passengers were specially investigated on suspicion of human trafficking by an organized crime group.
Nicaragua, a base for smuggling immigrants to the US… Illegal entry into the country more than doubled among citizens
About 300 Indian citizens heading to Central America were quarantined at a French airport for a third day and their plane was also stranded as French police launched an investigation following a tip-off that the passengers on board could be victims of human trafficking, French authorities said on the 23rd.
Among the passengers are children and families. According to the local civil protection agency, the youngest passenger was a 21-month-old infant, and it was reported that there were several unaccompanied minors among the children.
Paris prosecutors said two of the passengers were detained as part of a special investigation into alleged human trafficking by organized crime groups, but did not specify what type of trafficking they were suspected of or whether the United States, which has seen a surge in the number of Indians crossing the Mexico-US border this year, was their final destination. .
As a large-scale human trafficking investigation is underway at Vatry Airport in the Champagne region, where the A340 was grounded, other flights are being canceled or rerouted.
A lawyer for Romania-based Legend Airlines said the 15 crew members of the charter flight en route from Fujairah airport in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to Managua, Nicaragua were questioned and released. This chartered plane landed at Batri Airport to refuel, but following a tip that it was carrying human trafficking victims, an investigation was launched and take-off was banned.
The Indian Embassy in France announced on the 23rd that Indian consular representatives are stationed at the airport and are working with the French government to ensure the welfare of Indians and to quickly resolve the situation.
Legend Airlines lawyer Liliana Bakayoko denied any role in possible human trafficking, saying the company was cooperating with French authorities and had “not committed any violations.” She said the “partner” company that chartered the planes checked passengers’ identification documents and passed passport information to the airline 48 hours before the flight. This partner company had chartered several Legend Airlines aircraft and several other flights had already been booked. He added that the flight was completed without incident.
Meanwhile, the U.S. government considers Nicaragua to have failed to meet minimum standards to eliminate human trafficking.
Nicaragua has relaxed entry requirements and exempted visas for some countries, making it a staging ground for migration by people fleeing poverty or conflict in the Caribbean, as well as far-flung countries in Africa and Asia. It is known that they sometimes enter Nicaragua on charter flights and then travel to the United States by bus with the help of human traffickers.
According to the Mexican Immigration Service, the inflow of Indian immigrants through Mexico was less than 3,000 last year, but rapidly increased to more than 11,000 from January to November this year. In the 2022/2023 U.S. fiscal year that ended September 30, the number of Indian nationals apprehended while attempting to enter the U.S. illegally from Mexico was 41,770, more than double the previous year’s figure of 18,308.
[바트리(프랑스)=AP/뉴시스]
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.