Facebook and other social media are being used by people smugglers to lure customers trying to reach Europe.
So far this year a record 150,000 refugees were sent by traffickers to Italy, with the growing trade now worth millions.
Last week, 17 people onboard rickety vessels froze to death before they were found by the Italian navy. They were among the estimated 3,000 who perished so far this year, according to the United Nations.
European officials say criminal gangs use maritime tracking websites to spot military and civilian ships in the area to that these ships will rescue the refugees at sea.
“There are Facebook pages that advertise the smugglers’ services. They are using all sorts of digital means, including social media, to expand their operations,” said Ewa Moncure from Frontex, the EU’s border control agency. “They’ve become very well organised and they’re very adaptable.”
Previously, the voyages were halted because of winter storms and high winds, but this year many crossings have been attempted.
People pay some £500 to be crammed into the bottom while £1,500 will secure a place on the deck. Food, water and life jackets are separate. This is in addition to the money refugees would have paid for safe passage to the point of embarkation.
“It really is like the slave ships,” said Ms Moncure. “Africans are packed into the hold because they can’t afford to pay for a space on deck. If the boat goes down, forget it – you die.”
“To maintain order on unstable vessels, passengers moving about without permission are typically beaten or, in one case, stabbed to death. Others have simply been thrown overboard,” Frontex reported recently.
But profits for the traders in human misery are high. A full boat of 500 souls can bring in as much as £800,000. Operating out of the failed state of Libya makes it unlikely the smugglers will be caught.
“The absence of the rule of law in Libya since the fall of Gaddafi appears to have created near-perfect operating conditions for the criminal gangs,” the Frontex report said.
