Turkey Detains 137 Illegal Immigrants Trying To Sail To Greece

ANKARA, July 28 (AFP) - Turkish paramilitary troops on Wednesday detained 137 would-be immigrants from Asian and African countries as they attempted to sail from the country's western coast to the nearby Greek island of Samos, a local source said.
Acting on a tip-off, troops stopped the immigrants from Azerbaijan, Mauritania, Algeria, Afghanistan and Somalia shortly after they set off from near Didim, on the Aegean coast, aboard a Turkish fishing vessel, the source told AFP on condition of anonymity.
The ship was seized and three Turks suspected of transporting the immigrants to the coast by truck were arrested.
"The captain and the crew of the ship escaped, but we know who the owner of the ship is and we will catch them as well," the source said.
Turkey lies on a major route for people-smuggling from Asia to western Europe, and illegal migrants are detained almost on a daily basis.