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One of the world’s most wanted people-smugglers has been arrested following a joint intelligence operation involving the National Crime Agency and GCHQ.

Eritrean national Mered Medhanie, known as “The General”, is said to be at the heart of network to smuggle thousands migrants from Africa and the Middle East to Europe on regular journeys across the Mediterranean.

The 35-year-old was extradited to Italy on Tuesday following his arrest in the Sudanese capital Khartoum last month.

Officials from the National Crime Agency and GCHQ helped authorities track down Medhanie, accused of being responsible for the deaths of 359 people who drowned when their boat sank off the Italian island of Lampedusa in 2013.

Prosecutors said Medhanie can be heard laughing about the fatal overloading of migrant ships during an intercepted conversation.

In other recordings he was heard organising journeys across the Mediterranean and co-ordinating smuggling gangs.

Tom Dowdall, NCA deputy director, said: "Medhanie is a prolific people-smuggler and has absolute disregard for human life.

"Although he was operating thousands of miles away, his criminal activity was impacting the UK.

“Medhanie no doubt thought he was beyond the reach of European justice but we were able to support the Italians by tracking him down to Sudan."

Medhanie was arrested by the Sudanese National Police on May 24.

He is charged with being the organiser of a transnational criminal conspiracy aimed at smuggling human beings from Africa to Italy, and on to northern Europe and the UK.

Other charges include the smuggling of migrants relating to numerous arrivals of boats in Sicily, with aggravating circumstances of the number of smuggled people, inhuman treatment and risk to the life of migrants.

Additional reporting by Press Association