The Internal Security Forces’ information branch has thwarted the smuggling of 51 people including women and children into Cyprus by sea, it said in a statement on Saturday.

“The information branch managed on 04/05/2021 to arrest 51 people of Syrian nationality (39 men, 5 women and 7 children) who were heading to Cyprus by sea,” the statement said, noting that they were detained on the beach in Anfeh – Hraiche town.

“During interrogation, they confessed to what was attributed to them and that they were waiting for a boat to take them from the said beach towards Cyprus in exchange of $2,500 for each one of them upon arrival,” the statement said.

Three Syrian men, suspected by the ISF of being implicated in the illegal smuggling, were identified by their initials as follows: N.D (born in 1989), M.M (born in 1978) and Kh.A (born in 1997).

Upon hearing their testimony, they denied having links to the case yet it turned out that they colluded in the smuggling operation with two men, the first one in Lebanon nicknamed “Abou Mahmoud” and the second one in Cyprus nicknamed “Abou Yaarab”.

“An investigation is underway under the supervision of the competent judiciary, and work is ongoing with the aim of arresting the ones involved in this operation,” the statement added.