Italian police arrested 19 people on Saturday, suspected of being involved in a people-smuggling ring, euronews reported.

Police said they dismantled a criminal organization that was moving migrants from Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, and Pakistan to Italy and then into Northern Europe.

The investigation, led by prosecutors in Catania, Sicily, unveiled a network that involved hired or stolen sailboats that were used to transport migrants via Turkey and Greece to Italy, according to police.

The suspects included Iraqi Kurds, Afghans and Italians, police added.

One of the alleged bases for the ring was in Bari, southern Italy, where false documents were issued indicating the migrants had housing, a requirement for residency permits.

Bases were also in Milan and Turin in northern Italy as well as in the town of Ventimiglia, near the French border.

Others allegedly involved in the scheme falsified work contracts so the migrants could successfully apply for permission to reside in Italy, authorities said.

The investigation began in 2018, triggered by the arrival of 10 boats near the eastern Sicilian city of Syracuse.