27 foreign nationals held off coast of northwestern Turkey

CANAKKALE, Turkey

Dozens of foreign nationals found by the Turkish Coast Guard at sea using radar were taken back to shore in northwestern Turkey, said an official statement Saturday.

Mobile radar in Ezine in the Canakkale province detected a suspicious sailboat with 27 foreign nationals and two alleged human traffickers on board, said a Turkish Coast Guard Command statement.

The foreign nationals, whose country of origin was not specified, were taken to the local deportation center, while the human trafficking suspects were arrested.

*Writing by Ali Murat Alhas