Article

Tuesday, November 25, 2025
search-icon

Police detain 16 illegal migrants, arrest 2 smugglers in Türkiye

publish time

25/11/2025

publish time

25/11/2025

Police detain 16 illegal migrants, arrest 2 smugglers in Türkiye

STANBUL, Nov 25, (Xinhua): Turkish police apprehended 16 illegal migrants traveling in a truck in the southern border province of Hatay and arrested two suspects accused of smuggling them into the country, authorities said Tuesday. Police units stopped the truck on a highway in the province and discovered the migrants concealed in its trailer, according to a police report.

After medical checks, the migrants were transferred to the provincial migration office. The two suspects detained on charges of migrant smuggling were later placed under arrest by a local court, the police said. Hatay's long and porous border with Syria makes it a key gateway for irregular migration into Türkiye. Its proximity to conflict areas, coupled with rural crossing points and heavily used transport routes, has long made the province a preferred corridor for migrant smugglers.