CAIRO — Abu Ammar likes to crack jokes. It helps in his line of work. “If I have the opportunity, why not?” he said, smiling coyly. “I am a broker, and you are my first customer.”

Abu Ammar, not his real name, is a Syrian “simsar” (broker) for Egypt's smuggling networks, connecting potential passengers with smugglers bound for Italy.

“When I felt I needed to travel, I started [working] … I’ve moved something like 10 or 15 people, mostly my relatives,” he said, also admitting that he is acquainted with Abu Hamada, who according to a report in The Guardian newspaper, is the “lynchpin” of the Syrian network in Egypt. “But now I’m working with filling out papers, documents, printing and so on,” Abu Ammar stated. With many people waiting for spring, the peak season for Mediterranean crossings, Abu Ammar has found other ways to earn money. For many times the cost of transit to Italy, he says he can get you a visa for Europe.

A looming European Union crackdown on smuggling has some worried that the door to Europe will close on increasingly vulnerable, desperate refugees and asylum-seekers in third countries such as Egypt. In 2014, more than 218,000 people crossed the Mediterranean irregularly while more than 3,500 died trying, according to estimates by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. There are already signs that this trend will continue. More than 300 people died Feb. 9-11 at sea when the four dinghies they were traveling in encountered stormy weather off Libya, refocusing scrutiny of Europe’s border policies.