Law enforcement authorities in southwestern Turkey’s Izmir detained 27 illegal migrants as they tried to cross into the neighboring Greek islands Sunday.
Local gendarmerie in the city’s Çeşme district also arrested four suspected human traffickers in the same operation.
Teams from the Izmir Provincial Gendarmerie Command conducted the operation following a tip-off that a group of migrants was preparing to cross into the Greek Islands illegally.
The 27 illegal immigrants, 17 of who were from Yemen, four from Senegal and six from Eritrea, were caught in a field.
Four suspected human traffickers, only identified by their initials M.Ş., H.B., M.C. and U.U., were also detained, for helping the group.
The local forces also seized a minibus, a pickup truck, two rubber boats, an outboard engine, 30 life jackets, 10 lifebuoys, three pumps, a battery and 60 liters of gasoline.
The illegal migrants were handed over to the Izmir Provincial Directorate of Migration Management after.
The court arrested the four suspects and transferred them to the jail after the legal procedures were completed.
