Filenews 24 December 2021 - by Michalis Hadjivasilis
The hitting of smugglers of informal migrants has been heavy lately, a fact that also highlights the authorities' effort to stop the networks that promote people either by sea or through occupied persons in the free areas.
According to data from the Ministry of Interior, in the last three and a half months 11 cases have been investigated nationwide, 16 arrests of traffickers have been made and 10 cases have been registered in the Courts. These data show the intensification of the efforts of the Aliens and Immigration Service of the Police, to stop the flows of informal immigrants to our country, which has long declared an emergency on the issue of migration and asks for the support of other European countries to address the problem.
In total this year, the Police through the Aliens and Immigration Service have inflicted more than 55 strikes on traffickers and already some have ended up in prison, while the boats used have been seized. Among the smugglers are Turkish Cypriots.
Most cases of migrant smuggling were investigated in the Larnaca district, since from September 2021 until mid-December, six cases were examined. Two other cases of smugglers were investigated in Nicosia and one each in the districts of Pafos, Morfou and Famagusta. It is characteristic that most traffickers are asylum seekers and after consulting with their compatriots who are either in Turkey or in the occupied territories, they assume a role to pick up migrants from their buffer zone and transfer them to the free areas. In one case, two women, 25 and 29 years old, were caught in the area of Peristerona carrying six foreigners whom they picked up from the buffer zone. The two were brought to trial before an Assize Court, while a third person is wanted.
In another case, on November 16, a boat with nine migrants arrived in Cape Greco. As they said, they paid six thousand dollars to buy the boat. The investigations found that one of them was the smuggler and he was arrested. This is a 41-year-old man who is being held in custody.
According to data from the Aliens and Immigration Service, on December 14, a vehicle was spotted carrying migrants from the buffer zone to the Peristerona area. This vehicle was found to be entering in and out of the buffer zone. The driver and another foreigner who was hidden in the luggage compartment of the vehicle were arrested. The case is before the Court of Justice.
