UAE extradites suspected Eritrean migrant smuggler to the Netherlands
A 41-year-old Eritrean man held captive in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has been extradited to the Netherlands. The Netherlands Public Prosecution Service (OM) wants to prosecute him for atrocities against migrants traveling from Libya to Europe. The Eritrean is suspected of, among other things, participating in a criminal organization involved in migrant smuggling, hostage-taking, extortion, and violence, including sexual violence. He landed at Schiphol Airport on Christmas Eve, escorted by the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee (KMar).
The suspect had been an international wanted person since 2021, when he escaped during his trial in Ethiopia. The Netherlands placed him on their most wanted list. On January 1, 2023, he was arrested in Sudan in an international police operation led by the UAE. The UAE had tracked him down in a money laundering investigation. In that same investigation he was later convicted in the UAE. Because the suspect has since served his sentence there, he could now be extradited. The Netherlands is grateful to the UAE authorities for their excellent cooperation in this investigation in tackling global migrant smuggling and money laundering.
Second main suspect in major criminal case
Another suspected leader of the criminal organization already stood trial in the Dutch city of Zwolle last month. On November 19 2025, the Public Prosecution Service demanded a twenty-year prison sentence for this 42-year-old suspect, also from Eritrea. His verdict is scheduled for January 27, 2026. The lawyers for this 42-year-old suspect still want to question the man who is now being extradited as a witness in their client's case. This hearing may take place soon. The now extradited suspect will also have his own legal process. He will initially appear before the examining magistrate on Saturday December 27, 2025.
Direct link to the Netherlands
According to the Netherlands Public Prosecution Service, both suspects worked together and earned large sums of money by assaulting and extorting primarily Eritrean migrants. The assault took place in Libya, and the extortion of family members took place in the Netherlands. Only when they paid the abuse would stop and would the family member be allowed to travel further, to Europe. The criminal organization's business model thus directly links the Netherlands to the systematic abuse in the Libyan camps, the prosecutor argued in the previous trial. After all, no smuggling without payments, no payments without extortion, no extortion without the use of violence.
Other suspects
In addition to the two main suspects, five suspects in the Netherlands have also been summoned in the criminal investigation, allegedly involved in collecting and transferring the money to the criminal organization. They will appear before the Overijssel District Court in Zwolle in April 2026. The investigation is being conducted by the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee (KMar) under the supervision of the National Public Prosecutors’ Office. It focuses on the period between 2014 and 2020. Collaboration is taking place with Italy, the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Europol, and Interpol, among others.