Turkish security forces detained 66 irregular migrants in operations in the northwestern provinces of Edirne and Kırklareli and the western province of Izmir, officials said Thursday.

In Edirne, security forces detained six foreign nationals who were found to have entered the country illegally during inspections across the province. They were sent to the provincial migration office for processing.

In neighboring Kırklareli, security forces detained six irregular migrants, who were later transferred to the Pehlivanköy Removal Center.

Separately, 54 irregular migrants were detained in two operations in the Çeşme district of Izmir.

A Coast Guard unmanned aerial vehicle detected a group of irregular migrants on land in Babür Bay at around 1:30 a.m. on June 30. In a joint operation by the Coast Guard Aegean Sea Regional Command’s intelligence branch and the Alaçatı Gendarmerie Station, 18 irregular migrants were detained.

Later the same day, at around 8:20 a.m., a Coast Guard mobile coastal surveillance vehicle spotted a rubber boat moving off the coast of Çeşme. A Coast Guard boat stopped the vessel and detained 36 irregular migrants on board.

The 54 migrants detained in Izmir were transferred to the provincial migration office after processing.

Türkiye, a key transit route for migrants seeking to reach Europe, has stepped up border controls and security operations in recent years as part of its efforts to combat irregular migration and migrant smuggling.