Two 33-year-old men were arrested in Larnaca on suspicion of assisting the illegal entry of migrants into the republic, police said on Tuesday.

The arrests occurred during a police operation in collaboration with the British bases in the district on Monday as part of regular police checks to curb illegal migration.

Officers spotted four people taking luggage from two separate vehicles and then entering a third vehicle.

One car, that was driven by the 33-year-old, was stopped for a check with four minors as passengers, two 16-year-olds, one 14-year-old and one 15-year-old, police said.

A second car was also stopped by officers of the British bases who arrested its driver, also 33 on suspicion of conspiracy to commit a crime and assisting illegal entry into the country.