Fifty irregular migrants were caught in the Demre district of southern Antalya, the coast guard said on Friday, adding that nine migrant smugglers have also been caught.
According to the statement on the Coast Guard Command's website, coast guard boats were directed to the area after a group of irregular migrants was detected on land in Buzalık Bay.
With the support of police teams, 50 irregular migrants, 25 of whom were children, were caught.
Nine suspects were also detained on the grounds that they were migrant smugglers.
After the procedures, the irregular migrants were handed over to the Provincial Directorate of Migration Management.
In parallel, Türkiye has also expanded its crackdown on migrant smuggling, capturing 4,358 smugglers in 2020, 7,942 in 2021, 9,149 in 2022, 10,482 in 2023 and 13,020 in 2024.
Türkiye boosted security in its land borders while coast guard patrols were increased amid the influx, especially in the Aegean Sea, where Türkiye and Greece, the main gateway to Europe for migrants, are littoral.
Some migrants make the dangerous journey over land or sea with the assistance of smugglers, who often abandon them, especially during sea journeys, after receiving thousands of dollars from each migrant. Others are stopped by Turkish security forces before crossing the border into Europe.
In some cases, neighboring Greece is accused of pushing back migrants in a controversial practice. In the Aegean Sea, Greek coast guard boats often drive out approaching migrant boats to the Greek islands.
Over the past five years, 105,437 migrants were intercepted in Turkish seas and rescued by the Coast Guard Command as they headed into rough seas that have claimed many lives over the years.
