Greek authorities have arrested a 13-year-old boy from South Sudan after he allegedly piloted a boat carrying 34 migrant...

Greek authorities have arrested a 13-year-old boy from South Sudan after he allegedly piloted a boat carrying 34 migrants across the Mediterranean from eastern Libya to Crete. A 17-year-old from the same network was also detained in connection with human-smuggling operations. The Greek Coast Guard confirmed that 50 migrants arrived on the southern coast of Crete aboard the boat, which departed early Monday morning. The 13-year-old now faces charges of violating immigration laws, facilitating illegal entry, and endangering the lives of everyone onboard. According to Greek newspaper Proto Thema, smuggling networks are deliberately recruiting teenagers from South Sudan to operate these boats, using them as expendable pilots on dangerous Mediterranean crossings. It is not yet clear whether Greek authorities were able to independently verify the boy's age. The arrests come as Crete is bearing the brunt of a major surge in arrivals from eastern Libya. Nearly 15,000 people have reached the island this year alone aboard unseaworthy vessels, out of more than 27,000 arrivals recorded across Greece so far in 2026. The Libya-to-Crete route has become one of the most active in the Mediterranean, with smuggling networks sending migrants on long open-water crossings in fragile, overcrowded boats. The use of child pilots is a tactic that shifts criminal liability and reduces risk for the adult organizers running the networks. #Greece #Immigration #Migration