AYDIN - Turkish security forces captured 37 illegal immigrants in Kuyucak town of Aegean Aydin province, sources said on Friday.
Acting on a tip-off, security forces captured 30 Somalians, two Mauritanians, two Rwandan, two South African and one Senegalese in Aydin's Cobanisa village.
Illegal immigrants told police that they entered Turkey via Iran and firstly taken to Istanbul.
The illegal immigrants said that a person left them in an orange garden saying it was Italy.
The illegal immigrants will be deported following legal proceedings.
Turkey is a route of illegal migration due to its geographical location lying between Asia and Europe like a bridge with its rough mountainous eastern and southeastern borders difficult to control. Illegal immigrants from African, Middle Eastern, Asian and Far Eastern countries generally use this route to sneak into European countries.
In the West, northwestern Edirne province and some other Aegean provinces are routes for illegal immigrants to cross the border. Particularly Meric River, a natural border between Turkey and Greece, and Aegean provinces which are close to Greek Islands in the Aegean Sea are used by illegal immigrants to go to European countries.
In recent years, there has been a considerable increase in the number of illegal immigrants who were caught by the Turkish security forces who stepped up security measures against illegal migration.
(BRC-AÖ) 21.05.2004