Egypt's border guards stopped an attempt by smugglers to help 18 Egyptians illegally immigrate to Italy by sea.
Security forces received information that a group was smuggling illegal migrants through the Mediterranean, choosing Abu Khashaba and Kafr al-Sheikh as center points for their activities.
Security sources said they prepared ambushes along the coastal area before storming it and arresting 18 people from the governorates of Sharqiya, Fayoum and Qalyubiya.
The arrested migrants told interrogators they had agreed to pay LE30,000 to smugglers in return for helping them to travel to Italy.
Young Egyptians have resorted to the perilous illegal migration boats to reach Italy and other Mediterranean states in search for job opportunities. Some migrants have drowned on the way.
Translated from the Arabic Edition
