Two held after France grounds plane over suspected human trafficking involving minors
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A Nicaragua-bound plane that had taken off from the United Arab Emirates was grounded at France's Vatry airport.
PHOTO: AFP
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VATRY, France – French police were questioning two men on Dec 22, a day after officials grounded a Nicaragua-bound plane carrying more than 300 Indian passengers over suspected human trafficking, prosecutors said.
The Airbus A340 had flown in from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Dec 21, landing at Vatry airport in eastern France for a technical stopover.
It was held by the French authorities after an anonymous tip-off that it was carrying passengers “likely to be victims of human trafficking”, the Paris Prosecutor’s Office told AFP.
The two men in custody were among the passengers.
“Identity checks are being carried out on the 303 passengers and on the cabin crew,” said the prosecutor’s office. Investigators were also checking the conditions in which the passengers were transported and the purpose of their journey.
The national anti-organised crime unit, Junalco, is leading the investigation, said prosecutors.
The civilian protection unit of the Marne department told AFP that the plane was carrying 13 unaccompanied minors as well as accompanied minors, with their ages ranging from 21 months to 17 years.
The passengers were still in the airport’s entrance hall on the morning of Dec 23. Tarpaulin covered the entrance hall’s glass exterior and nearby administrative buildings, while the police and gendarmes prevented access.
According to a source familiar with the case, the passengers might have planned to travel to Central America to attempt illegal entry into the United States or Canada.
After landing in France, they were first kept on the aircraft but were then let out and given individual beds in the terminal building.
The Indian Embassy in France said on X, formerly Twitter, that the authorities in Paris had informed them of the situation.
“Embassy team has reached and obtained consular access,” it added. “We are investigating the situation, also ensuring well-being of passengers.”
On Dec 22, the police and gendarmes cordoned off the entire airport and white tarpaulin sheets covered the bay windows of the airport’s arrivals hall, an AFP journalist at the scene noted.
Airline ‘has done nothing wrong’
The authorities in Vatry prefecture, in the north-eastern department of Marne, said the A340, operated by Romanian company Legend Airlines, “remained grounded on the tarmac at Vatry airport following its landing” on Dec 21.
The plane had been due to refuel and was carrying 303 Indian nationals who had probably been working in the UAE, they said.
Legend Airlines has a small fleet of four aircraft, according to the Flightradar website.
Ms Liliana Bakayoko, who said she was a lawyer for the airline, told AFP the company believed it had done nothing wrong, had committed no offence “and is at the disposal of the French authorities”.
But the airline would take legal action if the prosecutors file charges, she added.
Ms Bakayoko also said all crew members had been questioned and allowed to leave.
The Vatry airport, located 150km east of Paris, serves mostly budget airlines.
Border police can initially hold foreign nationals for up to four days if they land in France and are prevented from travelling on to their intended destination.
French law allows for that period to be extended to eight days if a judge approves it, then another eight days in exceptional circumstances, up to a maximum of 26 days.
Human trafficking carries a potential sentence of up to 20 years in France. AFP
