Bangladesh, April 7 -- Authorities in Ethiopia have carried out a major law enforcement operation targeting a vast and deeply entrenched human smuggling network that has operated across East Africa for years. The crackdown resulted in the arrest of an alleged mastermind and several accomplices accused of orchestrating the trafficking of thousands of vulnerable migrants, many of whom were subjected to extreme violence, exploitation, and extortion during their journeys toward Europe.

According to officials from the Ethiopian Federal Police, the suspected leader of the network, Yitbarek Dawit, was taken into custody along with nine other individuals believed to be key members of the criminal organization. Investigators describe the network ...