THE HAGUE, Netherlands — In a landmark ruling addressing transnational human trafficking, an Eritrean national has received the maximum 20-year prison sentence from a Dutch court for orchestrating a brutal smuggling network that preyed on vulnerable migrants. Tewelde Goitom, operating under the alias Amanuel Walid, was convicted on multiple counts of people smuggling and extortion by the Overijssel District Court.
The court established that Goitom led a criminal enterprise that subjected migrants to what Presiding Judge René Melaard described as “cruel, violent, and degrading treatment” throughout their Mediterranean crossing attempts. Migrants were held captive in Libyan camps under horrific conditions while their families in the Netherlands were systematically extorted for payment.
Judge Melaard characterized the case as “exceptionally serious” due to both the scale of operations and the particularly brutal methods employed. “You and your accomplices were merciless, unscrupulous, and devoid of regard for human dignity,” Melaard stated during sentencing, emphasizing that the crimes represented “gross undermining of Dutch and European immigration policy.”
The prosecution demonstrated that Goitom’s network operated a sophisticated extortion scheme where migrants were forced to contact relatives under duress, with payments processed through multiple jurisdictions including the United Arab Emirates. Only upon full payment were migrants permitted to continue their perilous journeys toward Europe.
Goitom, who was extradited from Ethiopia in 2022 where he faced similar convictions, maintained throughout the trial that he was a victim of mistaken identity. The court rejected this defense along with jurisdictional challenges from his legal team, though acquitted him on two specific migrant cases due to insufficient evidence.
In addition to the prison term, Goitom was ordered to pay over €30,000 ($35,000) in victim compensation. The ruling comes as Dutch authorities pursue another high-profile trafficker, Kidane Zekarias Habtemariam, recently extradited from the UAE after escaping custody during his Ethiopian trial.