Saturday 2 April, 2022.
Two men accused of smuggling 20 Syrian nationals, eight of whom were children into North Cyprus, have been remanded in custody for a further three days, Kibris Postasi reported.
Following a tip-off to Coast Guard Command, human smugglers İbrahim Keskin and Hassan Osman were discovered shortly before they came ashore at around 8.40 pm on 22 March, 2022.
They were spotted off Vogue Beach in Çatalköy, having arrived by speedboat which arrived from Taşucu in Turkey.
Giving evidence at court again, police officer Ömer Yavuz said that at around 20:40 on 22 March 2022, the suspects had committed the crime of human smuggling by bringing 20 Syrian nationals, including children, to the TRNC from Taşucu by speedboat Vogue Beach in Çatalköy for financial gain.
Yavuz stated that the suspect İbrahim Keskin’s mobile phone was found as evidence along with the speedboat and noted that the suspects had admitted their guilt when making their statements.
He added that the police were investigating a suspicious vehicle parked near the crime scene on the day of the incident, and it was determined that the vehicle was connected to the smuggling incident.
The court granted the police request to detain the suspects for three more days while they continue their investigations.
