Greek authorities arrested two South Sudanese teenagers suspected of piloting migrant boats from Libya as more than 450 people reached Greece by sea within 24 hours, highlighting renewed pressure on migration routes across the eastern Mediterranean.
In the early hours of Friday, Greek authorities intercepted three boats south of Crete carrying 44, 49 and 39 people respectively, according to local media reports. All those on board were brought safely ashore.
Several other groups were discovered along Crete’s southern coastline. One group included 33 migrants and another 51, with initial information indicating that they had travelled from Libya.
Authorities also found 55 migrants near Ierapetra in southeastern Crete, while another 43 people were located on the nearby island of Chrissi.
As part of investigations into the crossings, Greek authorities arrested two 17-year-olds from South Sudan on suspicion of piloting boats that departed from the Libyan port city of Tobruk. Investigators suspect the crossings were organised by migrant-smuggling networks operating between North Africa and Greece.
The latest arrivals followed a series of incidents beginning late Thursday, when authorities rescued 43 people from a small vessel that ran into difficulties south of Crete. Another group of 55 migrants was later found on a beach.
On the island of Rhodes, authorities located a separate group of 54 migrants who were believed to have arrived aboard a sailing vessel.
Members of the group told the Greek coastguard that they had departed from Turkey and had each paid around $5,000 to smugglers to arrange their journey to Greece.
The incidents underline the continued use of several irregular migration routes into Greece, including crossings from Libya, Turkey and the land border in the Evros region.
More than 22,000 irregular migrants have reportedly arrived in Greece since the beginning of 2026. Around 12,000 are believed to have travelled by sea from Libya, while roughly 5,000 crossed Greece’s northeastern land border with Turkey.
Others have reached the eastern Aegean islands by sea from Turkey’s western coast.
Greek and European authorities have increasingly focused on the migration route from North Africa as departures from the Libyan coastline toward southern Europe continue, alongside concerns over organised smuggling networks facilitating the crossings.
The growing number of arrivals around Crete has placed the Libya-Greece route under particular scrutiny as authorities seek to contain increasingly active maritime smuggling corridors across the Mediterranean.
