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The Ethiopian Federal Police have arrested 22 people accused of running a large-scale human trafficking network, authorities said on Tuesday.
Police said in a statement that the suspects allegedly exploited nearly 2,000 migrants attempting to reach Europe via Libya.
Authorities disclosed that the suspects were part of organised criminal gangs that lured victims with false promises of a better life in Europe, often claiming the migrants would travel through Libya before continuing their journey.
Instead, the migrants were reportedly detained in warehouses in Libya and forced to contact family members to pay ransom for their release.
According to police, the victims were given little food while their relatives were pressured for money.
When families failed to make payments on time, the suspects allegedly subjected the migrants to severe psychological abuse, including filming beatings and torture and sending the videos to relatives to force payment, it added.
Police also claim that by trafficking about 1,800 people, the trafficking operation made over 2.16 billion birr, or roughly $13 million.
At least two migrants were killed in the operation, according to the authorities, and fifteen more are still unaccounted for.
Ethiopia is one of Africa’s main departure points for migrants attempting to reach the Gulf states and Europe, and has become a major hub for human trafficking and related scams.
In August, Ethiopian courts sentenced five people to death for human trafficking, according to state media.
Ethiopia has not carried out an execution since 2007, the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty says.
