583 illegal migrants caught in Istanbul

Security forces have caught a total of 583 illegal migrants in a joint operation in Istanbul’s Arnavutköy district while they were attempting to reach Romania via the Black Sea.

Upon a notification that an illegal organization was preparing to smuggle migrants by sea, the gendarmerie, the National Intelligence Organization (MİT) and the Coast Guard Command launched a 10-month technical and physical follow-up.

Some of the illegal migrants were rescued when their boats were about to sink off Arnavutköy en route to Romania, and some were caught in a forest before getting on the boats.