Turkey detains illegal migrants

Last week a boat believed to come from Turkey arrived in Italy

By Chris Morris in Ankara

Turkish police in the city of Erzurum say they have detained 109 Afghans and Iraqis, who were hoping to be smuggled into Europe.

They were discovered on Saturday in the back of a lorry, whose driver was also taken into custody.

The would-be migrants had paid him $2,000 each to deliver them to Istanbul.

The arrests come a week after the Italian authorities accused Turkey of doing too little to prevent illegal migrants reaching Europe.

Lack of resources

The police say this group will be deported, but often captured migrants are released after paying the smallest of fines because there is not enough money available to do anything else.

Border patrols complained that they often detain the same people, trying again and again to complete their journey to Europe.

The Turkish authorities say they are doing everything they can, but they admit that they do not have the resources to prevent thousands of illegal migrant slipping through the net.

People smuggling has become a massive business controlled by powerful Mafia-type gangs.

A ship carrying more than 400 Kurds arrived in southern Italy just over a week ago, prompting the Italian Government protest to Ankara.

Now there are warnings that another ship is on its way from a Turkish port carrying another cargo of would-be immigrants, who will claim political asylum if they manage to reach the Italian shore.