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Italian authorities have dismantled a sprawling criminal enterprise accused of profiting from the illegal entry of thousands of Bangladeshi migrants, in what officials described as a multi-million-euro scheme involving lawyers, consultants, and members of the Camorra mafia.
In a major police operation across the Naples region, investigators said 45 individuals are under investigation for a range of offenses, including aiding illegal immigration, document fraud, and mafia-style extortion. The network allegedly sold fake employment contracts and forged housing documents to help migrants from outside the European Union appear eligible for legal entry.
At the center of the scheme were three groups operating in the towns of San Giuseppe Vesuviano and Ottaviano, where migrants reportedly paid up to 9,000 euros ($10,317) for bogus applications. Authorities say the scheme became lucrative enough to draw in the Fabbrocino clan, a powerful faction of the Camorra, which used extortion and direct involvement to control the racket.
Assets worth 2 million euros ($2.29 million) have been seized as part of the investigation. Arrest and search warrants were carried out following orders from a Naples judge.
The crackdown comes as irregular migration into the European Union shows signs of easing. According to Frontex, the bloc’s border agency, unauthorized border crossings dropped 20 percent in the first five months of 2025, with around 63,700 recorded. The Central Mediterranean remains the most active route, with 22,700 crossings—roughly one-third of the total. Bangladeshi nationals were among the most commonly detected.
Crossings through the Western Balkans, another well-trodden path into the EU, have fallen sharply—down 56 percent compared to last year—amid stricter controls and cooperation with transit countries. Despite the decline, the journey remains deadly: at least 651 people have died at sea this year, according to the International Organization for Migration.
Frontex attributes the broader decline in arrivals to increased enforcement in North and West Africa, as well as coordinated patrols, like joint Spanish-Moroccan efforts near the Canary Islands. But migration routes are shifting. The English Channel, for example, has seen a 17 percent uptick in crossings this year, as smugglers adapt to enforcement efforts elsewhere.
