123 migrants rescued south of Crete – Two 18-year-olds arrested as smugglers
Three separate rescue operations were conducted south of Crete, with a total of 123 foreigners being picked up. Two 18-year-old South Sudanese nationals were arrested as smugglers.
Three rescue operations in one night – Two smuggler arrests off southern coast
According to neakriti.gr, on the evening of Monday 11 May, 33 foreigners, including two women, were rescued in a maritime area south of Crete and landed at Kalá Limánia. The rescued individuals were transferred to Heraklion at approximately 00:30, where they underwent registration and temporary reception procedures.
Earlier that same day, the Unified Search and Rescue Coordination Centre (E.K.S.E.D.) notified the Port Authority of Heraklion of an inflatable dinghy with foreigners in distress, 26 nautical miles south of Kalá Limánia. A FRONTEX force vessel retrieved 56 people — 53 men, 2 women and 1 minor — who were transferred to the port of Kalá Limánia and subsequently to Heraklion.
According to the foreigners themselves, they set out in the early morning hours of 10 May 2026 from the Tobruk area of Libya. Each had paid different amounts: 80 Pakistani rupees, 14,000 Libyan dinars or 6,000 US dollars for their transfer to Greece. During preliminary investigation by the Central Port Authority of Heraklion, an 18-year-old South Sudanese national was identified as a smuggler and was arrested for illegal entry into the country, facilitation and endangerment.
As part of a third operation, personnel from the Special Missions Unit (K.E.A.) of the Central Port Authority of Heraklion discovered 34 foreigners — 32 men and 2 women — on the beach of "Psarí Forádha" in the Municipality of Viánnos, who had been landed from an inflatable dinghy. They were transferred by bus to Heraklion port and are to be forwarded to a Reception Centre inland.
The foreigners in this group reported that they set out in the evening hours of 9 May 2026 also from Tobruk, each paying 7,000 Egyptian pounds. In this case too, during preliminary investigation an 18-year-old South Sudanese national was identified as a smuggler and was arrested for the same offences. The transport dinghy was destroyed.
These three incidents add to the series of arrivals recorded in recent days on the southern coast of Crete, with port authorities maintaining continuous vigilance.
Source: Google News GR — Crime (el)