Greece’s maritime borders came under increased migratory pressure in April 2026, according to official data released by the Directorate for Security and Protection of Maritime Borders of the Hellenic Coast Guard.
During the month, coast guard authorities recorded a total of 31 incidents involving the irregular entry of foreign nationals into Greece, along with nine cases of attempted irregular departures to other European Union member states via Greek territory.
In the incidents related to illegal entry, authorities arrested 999 foreign nationals and 29 suspected migrant smugglers. In the category of irregular departures — concerning migrants attempting to travel unlawfully from Greece to other EU countries — 15 foreign nationals and one suspected trafficker were arrested.
According to the same data, one vehicle was seized in connection with the irregular departure cases, while two forged travel documents were also discovered. No vessels were confiscated during April.
The Directorate for Security and Protection of Maritime Borders noted that the statistics refer exclusively to cases handled by local coast guard authorities.
New Incident South of Gavdos
In a separate incident, a boat carrying 31 foreign nationals was located on Thursday, May 14, in the sea area approximately 42 nautical miles south of Gavdos, following a surveillance operation conducted by an aircraft operated by Frontex.
A patrol vessel from the Hellenic Coast Guard was dispatched to the area and rescued the migrants. The passengers were safely transferred to the port of Palaiochora in Crete.
