January 14, 2018•Update: January 15, 2018
By Cihan Demirci
EDIRNE, Turkey
Two suspects were remanded in custody Sunday by a local court in northwestern Turkey over smuggling charges.
On Thursday, at least 23 suspects were arrested in Edirne and Istanbul as part of an ongoing operation against migrant smuggling and human trafficking.
Eight of them were sent to the court in Uzunkopru district, which released six of them and remanded two in custody.
The suspects were allegedly helping migrants trying to cross into Europe via the Greek islands.
So far, hundreds of thousands of migrants have made the journey across the Aegean to reach northern and western Europe.
Nearly 2,000 refugees cross into Greek islands every month, according to UNHCR data.
Hundreds of people have died at sea as a number of boats carrying refugees sank. The Turkish Coast Guard has rescued thousands.
