A group of migrants who paid Libyan fraudsters for a crossing to Europe were dropped off what they thought was Malta's coast only to discover they had got no further than the other side of Tripoli, the Libyan Herald reported today.

The newspaper said some 100 migrants were believed to have set sail from Tajura, the departure point for many trying to reach Europe, according to an official source. The vessel, piloted by a Libyan, headed out to sea and sailed all night. The next morning the migrants were set ashore and told they had reached Malta, when in fact they were in Siyahiya, the other side of Tripoli and just 26 km from where they had started.

The migrants were apprehended by the Illegal Immigration department.

“It is not that surprising that they thought it was Malta, because out at sea during the night, you cannot see your surroundings,” the newspaper's source explained. "Even if the migrants do become suspicious, they have no choice but to go with that person because once the money is paid, they can’t change their minds.”