(AP) Cyprus police have arrested five Syrians on suspicion of people trafficking after a police patrol boat plucked them and 32 of their countrymen from the sea when their rickety boats sank close to the island’s southeastern tip.
Police say the five men aged 46-53 face numerous charges including helping third-country citizens to illegally enter Cyprus for financial gain and transporting people on unsafe craft.
Police spokesman Christos Andreou told state-run Cyprus News Agency that the 37 Syrians — who included seven minors — were collected from the sea early Thursday.
Andreou said the five were placed under arrest after witnesses said they were in charge of their transport to Cyprus. One of the five had previously been deported from the east Mediterranean island nation.
