Police and port authority officials intercepted 15 suspected smugglers and a total of 89 would-be migrants in different parts of the country over the weekend.

It was an unusually large number of smugglers to be stopped in just two days. Two of them were women in their 20s.

Five of the suspects were stopped at the northwestern port of Igoumenitsa where they had tried to board ferries to Italy with one or two migrants hidden in their vehicles.

The largest number of migrants was found on the eastern Aegean island on Samos – a total of 41 – and another 24 were intercepted on Lesvos.

Three smugglers and six migrants, bound for Athens in two cars, were stopped near Thessaloniki after ignoring a police signal to stop for a routine inspection.