In an operation to locate and pursue a speedboat, port authorities in Samos have proceeded with the arrest of a trafficker and the identification of 14 foreigners.
According to the Coast Guard, in the early hours of yesterday morning the Samos Port Authority was informed about a suspicious speedboat with foreigners on board, which was moving at high speed towards the northeast coast of the island.
A Coast Guard patrol boat, which was on a scheduled patrol, rushed to the area and spotted the vessel, attempting to immobilize it using light and sound signals.
The pilot of the speedboat did not comply, resulting in a pursuit. During the operation, the vessel ran aground at Cape Prasou, where the occupants were disembarked.
In the wider land area, officers of the Samos Police Directorate located a total of 14 foreigners, including 3 men, 8 women and 3 minors. The foreigners were transferred to the Closed Controlled Facility of Samos.
During the preliminary investigation, the other passengers identified a 24-year-old foreigner, an Azerbaijani national, as their trafficker. The man was arrested and charged with illegal entry into the country, trafficking of third-country nationals on a serial basis and for profit, and disobedience.
According to the testimonies of the foreigners, for their transportation to Greece they paid a trafficking ring the sum of 5,000 euros each. As part of the preliminary investigation, the Samos Port Authority proceeded with the confiscation of a mobile phone found in the possession of the arrested man.
