Two suspected people smugglers arrested in Amsterdam

The Koninklijke Marechaussee arrested two men in Amsterdam on Tuesday, on suspicion that they smuggled around 50 people from Greece to Italy by sea.

The suspects are 27 and 32 years old and both from Egypt, the Marechaussee, a policing force that works as part of the Dutch military and is responsible for border security, said on Facebook on Wednesday.

The Marechaussee started looking into these two men after receiving information that they were engaged in transporting asylum seekers from Greece to Italy and other European countries. The investigation revealed a boat trip they organized in October, in which around 50 people paid thousands of euros per person to go from Greece to Italy, the Marechaussee said.

The investigation is still ongoing, with the cooperation of the authorities in Greece, Albania and Italy. More arrests may follow, the Marechaussee said.