Greek authorities have taken two minors from South Sudan, aged 13 and 17 respectively, into custody on account of their alleged involvement in the smuggling of 84 migrants from Libya.

The first arrest came on September 21, when officials took into custody a 17-year-old boy in Crete. The youth is accused of piloting a dinghy carrying 50 migrants from Libya to the Greek island.

Passengers on the small boat reportedly identified the minor as the person in charge of steering the vessel, according to the Greek news platform ekathimerini.

The other teenager had already been arrested the previous day just off the island of Gavdos, which is located near Crete. The 13-year-old is also accused of having piloted a migrant boat with 34 passengers over to Greece from the Libyan coast.

In this instance, too, passengers identified the boy as the person in charge of navigating the boat. This migrant vessel needed to be rescued at a distance roughly 60 kilometers away from Gavdos; the rescue was carried out by the EU's external border agency, Frontex.

Both teenagers potentially face charges of violating Greek immigration laws, facilitating illegal entry into the country, and endangering the lives of passengers on the respective boats.

Investigations to establish their exact roles and responsibilities have been launched.

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African youth used by smugglers

There has been a rise in teenagers from South Sudan facing charges related to people smuggling in Greece.

Last month, four minors, including a 14-year-old boy, were arrested in Crete on similar accusations. 

However, many related instances show that the youths aren't directly involved with smuggling networks operating in Libya; they rather are typically offered a cheaper seat for irregular journeys in exchange for navigating these vessels.

More and more youths from Eritrea are also reportedly stuck in a similar position, agreeing to maneuver unseaworthy migrant boats in exchange for paying a smaller fee to smuggling gangs for the crossings.

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Thousands of migrants continue to arrive in Greece

Greece has been at the forefront of irregular migration movements to Europe for over a decade. For many years, the Greek islands in the Aegean were the primary route used by smugglers to move irregular migrants into the EU member state, usually from neighboring Turkey.

However, increased controls along the Turkish coast and a 2016 deal between the European Union and Turkey have resulted in a major drop of successful crossings on this route.

In response, smugglers have moved much of their business to eastern Libya, from where they organize the launch of migrant boats traveling long distances to Greece's southernmost island in the Mediterranean, Crete.

So far this year, more than 15,000 people have landed on the island on makeshift boats, making Crete the biggest point of entry for irregular migrants, according to the UNHCR.

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However, other migrant routes remain popular, with another 13,000 migrants entering Greece through other irregular means and points of entry.

According to UN statistics, nearly a third of the people reaching Greece irregularly this year are Sudanese war refugees, followed by about a quarter Bangladeshis.With slightly under 10 percent each, Afghans and Egyptians round off the list of the top-four countries of origin.

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