ISLAMABAD: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) said on Sunday that it had arrested a human smuggler in the 2025 Morocco boat tragedy that caused the deaths of at least 15 Pakistanis, vowing to enforce a zero-tolerance policy against human smuggling.
Around 80 passengers were aboard the ill-fated ship, which left Mauritania and sailed north toward Spain’s Canary Islands before capsizing near the Western Sahara port of Dakhla in January 2025. Pakistan said at least 13 people had been killed in the incident while 21 of its nationals had survived the ordeal.
Pakistanis are frequently among those who drown on crammed boats that undertake dangerous journeys and sink in the Mediterranean Sea that separates North Africa from Europe. Islamabad has launched a crackdown in recent years against human smugglers who entice poor people to undertake these illegal journeys via sea for money.
The FIA said in a statement that the suspect, Qasid Ali, was listed in the FIA’s Red Book of Most Wanted Human Traffickers/Smugglers. It said Ali was arrested in Gujranwala, adding that multiple cases were already registered against him.
“The arrested individual was a key operative of an international human trafficking network,” the FIA said.
