501 Migrants Rescued in Crete – Four Smugglers Arrested

A rescue operation of 501 migrants took place south of Crete, resulting in the arrest of four Egyptian smugglers aged 21, 36, 21, and 20.

The port authorities of Agia Galini, Kaloi Limenes, Kokkinos Pyrgos, and Paleochora were informed on the evening of Saturday, June 21, about a fishing vessel with foreigners in distress, 49 nautical miles south of Crete.

A patrol boat, a rescue boat, and an offshore vessel of the Coast Guard, a frigate of the Navy, and three passing ships participated in the operation. The fishing vessel was located, and the 501 migrants were rescued by the ship «MUAZZEZ K» flying the flag of Barbados, with the assistance of the Coast Guard.

The migrants were transferred to the anchorage of Messara Bay and then to the port of Agia Galini, to be taken to a temporary accommodation center in Rethymno. The arrested individuals face charges of illegal entry into the country, facilitation, conspiracy, and exposure. According to the rescued individuals, they had departed from the coast of Tobruk, Libya on June 20, 2025.

The Rethymno Port Authority, in cooperation with the Directorate of Security and Protection of Sea Borders, is conducting a preliminary investigation and investigating the possible expansion of the gang's activities.