Arrest of four Turkish smugglers in Kalymnos – 60 migrants in two sailing vessels
The Coast Guard identified 60 foreigners in two Turkish sailing vessels west of Kalymnos. Four Turkish operators were arrested for human trafficking.
Sixty migrants in two sailing vessels — four smuggler arrests in Kalymnos
In the early morning hours of 9 September 2026, the Unified Search and Rescue Coordination Centre (EKSES) notified the Port Authorities of Kalymnos and Leros about a vessel with foreigners in distress, west of Kalymnos. A patrol vessel and a patrol boat of the Coast Guard–Hellenic Coast Guard were immediately dispatched to the area.
According to hcg.gr, the vessels located two sailing vessels under Turkish flag, secured to each other. The first carried 29 people — 15 men, 7 women and 7 minors — and the second carried 31 people, of whom 11 men, 13 women and 7 minors. A total of 60 foreigners were rescued.
Under escort from the coast guard vessels, the two sailing vessels proceeded to the port of Kalymnos. The passengers were disembarked and transferred to the Closed Controlled Structure facility in Kos. According to their statements, they had departed from Bodrum, Turkey in the early morning hours of the same day, after each paid 6,000 euros at offices within Turkey for their transport to Greece.
From the Port Authority of Kalymnos, which is conducting the preliminary investigation, all four operators — Turkish nationals aged 23, 27, 43 and 51 — were arrested. They face charges of illegal entry into the country, facilitation, endangerment and participation in a criminal organisation. The two sailing vessels were seized, as were four mobile devices, 185 Turkish lire and 2,610 euros found in their possession — amounts which will be handed over to the Deposit and Loan Fund.
The Directorate of Security and Protection of Maritime Borders (DAPAS), in cooperation with the Port Authority of Kalymnos, is analysing the case details and investigating possible involvement of the arrestees in other human trafficking cases.
Source: Google News GR — Crime (el)