A court in Cyprus ordered the detention of two Lebanese men, aged 19 and 21, for six days on suspicion of human smuggling. The individuals were identified as the captains of two boats that tried to smuggle 146 Syrian refugees and one Lebanese migrant into the Mediterranean island.
During their interrogation, the refugees revealed that they had departed from Tripoli on Thursday, February 22, and paid a staggering $2,500 for a spot on the boats.
One boat carried 30 people, including six women and 11 minors, while the second transported 117 individuals, including eight women and 17 minors.
The police identified the vessels on Saturday afternoon off Cape Greco at the southeastern tip of the island. Subsequently, all migrants were safely escorted ashore and transferred to a migrant reception center outside the capital, Nicosia.
