Cypriot police on Wednesday arrested five Syrians suspected of belonging to a “criminal organization” smuggling illegal immigrants, as part of an operation to crack down on these illegal networks on the Mediterranean island, authorities said. The President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides, ordered a “coordinated operation to dismantle a criminal organization smuggling irregular immigrants to Cyprus” in the southern coastal city of Limassol (south), the presidency said in a statement.
4,370 migrants returned in 2023
Five Syrians were arrested during the operation, which was carried out with the aim of “effectively tackling the problem of immigration, and showing zero tolerance towards this phenomenon”, is- he adds. Authorities are expected to make further arrests, as arrest warrants have already been issued, the statement said.
The “trafficking networks” put “the lives of irregular immigrants at risk”, also affirmed the presidency, underlining a recent significant drop in the number of asylum seekers thanks to the measures taken against traffickers. The Cypriot authorities have increased their efforts in recent months to send irregular migrants to other countries. Some 4,370 migrants were returned in 2023, according to Interior Ministry figures.
Arrests the day after a major operation
Claiming to be on the front line of migration flows within the European Union, Cyprus has for years been calling for more funds and political support from Brussels to manage this issue. The arrests come a day after a major operation in which dozens of asylum seekers were evacuated from a condemned building complex near the western coastal town of Paphos, after demonstrations by residents and protests. allegations of electricity theft.
The Cypriot government exercises its authority only over the southern part of the island, the northern part having escaped its control since its invasion in 1974 by Turkey. The Republic of Cyprus claims that asylum seekers represent 5% of the 915,000 inhabitants of the southern part of the island. The number of migrant arrivals has fallen since last year, but arrivals by boat from war-ravaged Syria and crisis-ridden Lebanon have increased.