On Sunday afternoon (24/8), the Coast Guard located a wooden boat carrying 23 illegal migrants in the sea area of Lindos, Rhodes, and proceeded to arrest 12 of them on charges of trafficking.

Specifically, the wooden boat was safely brought to the port of Lindos under Coast Guard escort. During inspection, it was found that 23 illegal migrants (12 men, 5 women, and 6 minors) were on board, all without legal documents.

They were then safely transferred to the port of Rhodes, where, during the preliminary investigation, it emerged that the 12 men, all Syrians, had jointly purchased, organized the transport, and operated the wooden boat, with the intent of transferring themselves from Latakia, Syria, to Italy.

The Central Port Authority of Rhodes, which is conducting the investigation, arrested the 12 foreign nationals for violating Article 25 of Law 5038/23 “Carrier obligations – Sanctions.”