A Hellenic Coast Guard patrol boat was informed yesterday afternoon of the existence of a suspicious speedboat, which was moving from the Turkish coast to the coast of Chios.

The Coast Guard vessel spotted the speedboat, with a sufficient number of passengers, heading towards the sea area of Strovili east of Chios. The pilot of the vessel did not respond to the instructions of the crew and a chase ensued, resulting in the immobilization of the speedboat.

The crew of the coast guard vessel recovered the 27 illegal immigrants (11 men, 9 women and 7 minors) on board and their 20-year-old foreigner (Turkish national) smuggler.

The illegal immigrants were taken to the port of Kardamena, where they were handed over to officers of the Chios Police Directorate and transferred to the registration and identification center of the island, while the trafficker was handed over to officers of the Security Office of the Chios Port Authority. From the Central Port Authority of Chios, which is conducting the preliminary investigation, the 20-year-old was arrested for violation of Article 25 of Law 5038/23 “Trafficking” and for violation of Law 3386/2005 “Illegal entry into Greek territory”. The speedboat was confiscated.

19 illegal immigrants were found in Oinousses

In the early hours of Tuesday morning, members of the Port Authority of Oinossa, as part of a land patrol, located 19 illegal immigrants (8 men, 5 women and 6 minors) north of Oinossa. They were picked up by a patrol boat of the Coast Guard and were transported to the port of Chios, where they were picked up by officers of the Police Directorate/TDM to be transferred to a facility in Chios. Preliminary investigation is carried out by the Port Station of Oinousses.