A 13-year-old boy from South Sudan was arrested Monday after being named by passengers as the pilot of a small boat carr...

A 13-year-old boy from South Sudan was arrested Monday after being named by passengers as the pilot of a small boat carrying 34 migrants from eastern Libya to Crete. The Coast Guard located the vessel Sunday, 32 nautical miles south of Gavdos island, and all 34 people aboard were rescued by a Frontex patrol vessel. The boy faces charges of breaking immigration laws, facilitating illegal entry, and endangering the other passengers. Authorities noted it was unclear whether and how his age had been verified. A separate 17-year-old was also arrested the same day on similar charges, highlighting what officials describe as a deliberate pattern by smuggling gangs using South Sudanese teenagers to handle these crossings. Just hours later, another 50 migrants reached southern Crete from eastern Libya on Monday morning. Crete has become the primary entry point into Greece, with nearly 15,000 arrivals on the island so far this year out of a total of more than 27,000 nationwide. Greece now holds the highest number of arrivals in the EU this year, according to United Nations data. Arrivals through the Turkey-to-Aegean route have dropped more than 60% compared to last year, pushing more traffic onto the longer and more dangerous Libya-to-Crete corridor. Nearly 30% of those reaching Greece are from Sudan, followed by Bangladeshis at 25.8%, Afghans at 9.3%, and Egyptians at 8.5%. Smuggling gangs operating out of eastern Libya provide the flimsy boats and routinely designate passengers, often teenagers, to serve as pilots. That practice now appears to involve children as young as 13. #Greece #Immigration #Crete