Two human traffickers from Turkey received prison sentences of 42 months and 56 months after they pleaded guilty to smuggling people for money, the legal service announced on Monday.

Later on Monday it was announced that in another case a 28-year-old man was sentenced to 42 months in prison for people smuggling by Larnaca criminal court.

In first case, centred on the two men from Turkey, Nicosia criminal court sentenced them after they were found guilty of smuggling 13 Syrians into the Republic. They were sentenced on February 1.

They were found guilty of facilitating the illegal entry of third-country nationals into the Republic, smuggling migrants in violation of international treaties and transporting people by sea in unsafe or overloaded boats.

The announcement stated that the offences were committed prior to the amendments which brought in harsher penalties.

Smuggling people into the Republic now carries a prison sentence of 15 years instead of eight, and transporting people by sea in unsafe conditions now has a 12 year sentence instead of two.

In the second case of the 28-year-old, the court said that he had also assisted third country nationals into the Republic and was encountered by police near Pyla.

He was stopped by police on the evening of November 10, 2021 and was found to be transporting five other persons in his car.