Ethiopia arrests 22 over human trafficking

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ADDIS ABABA - Ethiopian police said they had arrested 22 people accused of trafficking almost 2,000 people, part of a sprawling network that saw at least two people die and the accused net millions.

The vast country is one of the continent's main departure points for migrants to the Gulf and Europe, and a hotspot for scams and traffickers.

Police said late Tuesday the accused formed "criminal gangs" and offered people "false hope that they will enter Europe and live a better life after travelling through Libya".

The migrants were instead held in Libyan warehouses, forced to contact their families for money, and essentially "held hostage until the ransom was paid".

The gang made more than 2.16 billion biir ($13 million) by trafficking 1,800 people, leading to at least two deaths and 15 disappearances, police said.

In August, Ethiopia sentenced five people to death for human trafficking, state media reported, though the country has not carried out an execution since 2007, according to the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty.