Refugees Pay to Board Livestock Carrier

Two Syrian refugees who allegedly paid a crew member on a livestock carrier to get them to Spain ended up calling in the Italian Coast Guard.

The pair, aged 29 and 30, paid $5,000 to the crewman, reports the U.K. Daily Mail, but were subsequently locked on board for three days by the captain of the vessel who intended to return them.

The vessel was transporting cows from Lebanon, and the captain noticed them amongst the crew and refused to let them disembark illegally in the E.U.
 
The captain did not alert the E.U. authorities, and the men, with no luggage other than a mobile phone they had hidden, then called the Italian authorities.

The ship was then stopped by the Italian coast guard as it passed near Sicily, and the refugees were taken off the ship.

The crew member who allegedly received the payment from the men is now in custody and was charged with aiding and abetting illegal immigration. 

The men wanted to enter the E.U. and then to continue to Scandinavia where they had family.