Five issued eight-day remands for facilitating illegal arrivals into Cyprus

Five people were issued with eight-day remands in custody at the Famagusta district court on Thursday, accused of facilitating the illegal arrival of 210 people into Cyprus.

The five, of whom four are Lebanese nationals and the other is a Syrian national, are aged between 22 and 50. They were arrested on Wednesday after three boats with undocumented migrants on board were detected by radar off the coast of Cape Greco.

There were 114 people on one boat, 77 on the second, and 19 on the third. The boats had embarked on their journeys to Cyprus from Syria and Lebanon.

The boats’ passengers were taken to the Ayia Napa marina where their details were recorded before they were transported to the Pournara reception centre.

The five arrested are believed to have been in command of the boats.