Cyprus arrests 5 after 2 boats sink, 37 migrants saved

By MENELAOS HADJICOSTIS
Associated Press

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Cyprus police say they 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 face numerous charges including assisting 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 the 37 Syrians were picked up early Thursday when their boats sank “due to their poor condition.” Police in Cyprus have stepped up people trafficking arrests as the number of asylum-seekers on the ethnically divided Mediterranean island continues to soar.