Turkish police intercept 44 migrants in Italy-bound container

ANKARA, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- Turkish security forces have intercepted 44 irregular migrants hidden inside a container at southern Türkiye's Port of Mersin that was scheduled to be shipped to Italy, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said Tuesday.

Yerlikaya said on social media platform X that police discovered the migrants during an operation targeting smuggling networks. An expanded investigation led to the detention of 13 suspected organizers, nine of whom have been formally arrested.

He said the migrants had previously entered Türkiye and later fell into irregular status, but did not specify their nationalities nor the time frame of the operation.

Türkiye will continue its determined fight against migrant smuggling and maintain strict controls to prevent such dangerous and unlawful attempts, he added.

Türkiye, a major transit route for migration, has intensified efforts to dismantle smuggling networks operating along key routes into Europe. Enditem