Two men aged 31 and 47 were sentenced to one and a half years in jail by the Larnaca criminal court on Thursday after they were found guilty of aiding third country nationals enter Cyprus illegally.

The 31-year-old man was arrested on October 3, 2022 after police intercepted his boat off the coast of Famagusta. He was trying to smuggle in a total of 13 people.

The 47-year-old was arrested on December 17, 2022, in the same area. On the same day, he was caught by the maritime police attempting to smuggle in 17 people.