32 Migrants, 2 Smugglers Apprehended Near Lesvos

Thirty-two migrants were located and their two smugglers arrested after a chase off Lesvos.

Yesterday afternoon, following a tip, a Hellenic Coast Guard patrol boat spotted a speedboat traveling at high speed from the Turkish coast towards the "Fara" area of Lesvos.

Three more Coast Guard patrol boats were dispatched to assist. The crew of one of the patrol boats signaled the speedboat with lights and sirens, but it did not respond, leading to a pursuit. During the chase, the speedboat traveled at high speed without navigation lights and made dangerous maneuvers.

Eventually, a patrol boat intercepted and stopped the speedboat. One of the two operators jumped into the sea to avoid arrest and resisted strongly when Coast Guard officers recovered him. Both foreign operators (Turkish nationals), aged 25 and 31, along with the thirty-two migrants on board, were transferred to the patrol boat and taken to the port of Mytilene. There, they were handed over to officials from the Port Authority Security Office. The two operators and one of the migrants were then taken to Mytilene General Hospital as a precaution and later released.

The remaining migrants were transferred to the Kara Tepe Mavrovouni Reception and Identification Centre. The Mytilene Central Port Authority, which is conducting the preliminary investigation, arrested the 25-year-old and 31-year-old for smuggling the other migrants. The speedboat and a mobile phone were seized.