Jail sentence for trafficker
A court on the eastern Aegean island of Samos yesterday imposed a jail sentence of seven years and three months on a Turkish national after he was caught dropping off 13 illegal immigrants in his rubber dinghy. Omer Koze, 46, was arrested on Friday after 12 migrants from Afghanistan and one from Mauritania disembarked from his boat in the Aghia Paraskevi area of Samos. Because of rough seas, Koze was not able to make a quick getaway and a coast guard patrol boat caught up with him while he was still in Greek waters. Officers said that the 46-year-old admitted to bringing the men over from Turkey. Although illegal immigrants are picked up on Aegean islands regularly after being brought over from Turkey, their traffickers usually manage to evade authorities. The court also ordered Koze to pay a 41,500-euro fine and that his boat be seized.
