Greek authorities are warning of operational changes being made by eastern Mediterranean migrant smugglers that are resulting in the endangerment of the passengers transversing the sea and the sailors who monitor the region.
The new methods come as perpetrators introduce smaller, faster speedboats and use them in more confrontational maneuvers against the country’s immigration patrols.
“We’re no longer dealing with cheap inflatable dinghies with small motors but boats that were used in the past by drug and contraband cigarette trafficking rings,” a spokesperson told the Athen’s newspaper Kathimerini.
Officials have reported incidents of ramming attacks by the illicit watercraft and a disturbing trend of the operators throwing occupants overboard to distract apprehension efforts.
According to the United Nations, 31,500 individuals have attempted to enter Greece illegally in 2024, amid a large migration wave to the European continent from Africa and the Middle East over the last decade.
