Summary The suspect was arrested in Gujranwala, and wanted in multiple cases
ISLAMABAD (Web Desk) - 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.
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.
The FIA said Ali extorted hundreds of thousands of rupees from citizens by falsely promising to send them to Europe and would then transport them to Africa through illegal routes.
“The human smuggling network transferred victims to Mauritania, where they were subjected to torture, forced labor and inhumane treatment,” it added.
These people were then deceived with promises of being sent to Spain by sea, after which all contact from them was cut off, the FIA said.
“The arrested suspect faces serious charges, including human trafficking, extortion, forced labor, fraud and causing the deaths of migrants,” the statement said.
