Units of the Turkish Coastguard intercepted, off the coast of the province of Muğla, on the southern coast of the Aegean, a sailing boat carrying 12 irregular migrants, including four minors and two people suspected of organising the journey, who, interestingly, were wearing formal attire – suits and evening gowns – in an attempt to go unnoticed and conceal their identities whilst trying to cross illegally into Greece.
Teams from the Turkish Coastguard Command were dispatched to the area after receiving information about the presence of a group of irregular migrants on board a sailing boat off the coast of Milas, at around 2.00 pm on Wednesday 22 September.
Officers stopped the vessel and arrested a dozen undocumented migrants, including four children, as well as two suspected people smugglers who had organised the journey, according to the Turkish newspaper Hürriyet. The migrants were subsequently taken ashore and handed over to the Provincial Directorate of Migration Management to undergo the relevant procedures.
Dressed in suits to avoid attracting attention
The migrants’ attire immediately caught the authorities’ attention due to the unusual nature of the scene. As the authorities observed, this group of undocumented migrants was wearing smart clothes similar to those worn by people of high purchasing power, with the aim of not arousing suspicion and going unnoticed during the sea crossing.
Turkey remains today a major transit route for migrants attempting to reach Europe, crossing – in the case of the Aegean Sea – to the Greek islands, which in many cases are situated just a few miles off the Turkish coast. Between January and August, the Turkish authorities intercepted nearly 6,000 irregular migrants – a figure 53% lower than the 12,857 migrants intercepted during the same period in 2025 – whilst during that same time 46 people drowned whilst attempting to cross into EU territory.
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Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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