A Dutch court on Tuesday sentenced an Eritrean man to 20 years in prison for operating a human trafficking ring in which migrants were extorted.

The court said the man, identified as Amanuel Walid, had treated migrants "without any humanity" as they were transported from Eritrea to Europe.

"Your only aim was to earn as much money as possible from people who were looking for a better future," the presiding judge told Walid.

Gang members abused thousands of migrants before detaining them in overcrowded camps, extorting their families for large sums of money.

Nature of crime 'justifies' 20-year sentence

Prosecutors had called for the maximum sentence of 20 years, accusing him of leading a criminal organisation with the intent to commit human trafficking, extortion, hostage-taking, and sexual offences.

"The court finds that the seriousness and the extent of those crimes justifies such a 20-year sentence," the judge said.

He noted that Walid had never expressed remorse for his actions and that a psychiatric observation centre had judged him mentally fit to take criminal responsibility.