in-cyprus 6 December 2022 - by Stelios Marathovouniotis
Police arrested more than 45 people in connection with migrant smuggling in 2022, Phileleftheros reported on Tuesday.
On Saturday, police arrested a 21-year-old man from Congo in the context of investigations into a case of facilitating third-country nationals to enter the Republic of Cyprus illegally for a fee.
The smugglers, many times themselves in a disadvantaged socioeconomic situation, lead other people to pay them large amounts of money to enter Cyprus.
According to police evidence gathered from testimonies, many migrants cross to Republic of Cyprus-controlled areas after signing up for studies in tertiary education institutions in the occupied north, in order to obtain a Turkish visa.
Others arrive through the sea.
