Cairo Airport received on Thursday 28 Egyptians deported by the Italian authorities. They had been arrested last week while trying to migrate to Italy on a fishing boat from west of Alexandria.
Cairo Airport security sources said that the deportees arrived aboard a private plane from Catania airport, accompanied by 32 security personnel.
According to investigations, a gang known for helping Egyptian illegal migrants had organized the migration, in return for sums of money ranging between LE30,000 and LE45,000.
They headed on a fishing boat from west of Alexandria to Italy, but an EU rescue ship detected them near the Italian coasts.
Two of the deportees had judicial rulings issued against them in Egypt. They were arrested, while the rest were allowed to leave Cairo Airport.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
