Greece: Migrants stopped on Italy-bound yacht

Authorities in western Greece said Tuesday that four people were arrested after the coast guard intercepted a yacht transporting 36 migrants illegally to nearby Italy.

The yacht was stopped and searched off the coast of the western Greek island of Lefkada. Three crew members were arrested along with a fourth smuggling suspect on the island, the coast guard said.

Despite a sharp drop in the arrival of migrants and asylum seekers in Greece since the start of the pandemic, smuggling networks remain active in the country, seeking to transport migrants illegally to other member nations in the European Union.

The coast guard said a bus driver had been identified as a fifth suspect and was wanted for arrest, but gave no further details on the status of the migrants found on the yacht.