Published on: 01.07.2023 – 05:12
Kidane Zekarias Habtemariam escaped from an Ethiopian prison in 2021 before being sentenced to life imprisonment in absentia. He was arrested in Sudan on January 1 during an international police operation operated with Interpol.
This Eritrean national was the subject of two Interpol Red Notices issued by Ethiopia and the Netherlands, specifically over migrant smuggling and human trafficking. Kidane Zekarias Habtemariam was the head of a criminal network that kidnapped and deceived hundreds of East African migrants, migrants whose goal was to reach Europe.
In a press release, Interpol described him as a “notorious smuggler known for his particularly cruel and violent treatment of migrants.” The police organization says he is the most wanted criminal in the Netherlands, Ethiopia and several other countries. The man, first arrested in Ethiopia in 2020, disappeared a year later before being sentenced to life in prison in absentia. Kidane Zekarias Habtemariam was eventually located in Sudan thanks to the work of the United Arab Emirates with the help of Interpol. In order to track him down, the Emirati authorities have specifically focused on his brother’s illegal financial transactions. Interpol commended the crucial role played by the Emirati, Ethiopian, Dutch and Sudanese authorities in this investigation.