CATANIA, Sicily, (Reuters) - Italian police on Wednesday detained 124 Sri Lankan illegal immigrants — all men — who arrived in Sicily in an old fishing boat.

Some of the Sri Lankans were taken to hospital to be treated for minor injuries and dehydration, a police spokesman said.

State television RAI reported that the immigrants had been shipped across the Ionian Sea from Turkey, paying as much as $9,000 each for their passage. RAI showed a sandy beach strewn with damp clothes and bags, and a fishing boat apparently stuck on a rocky outcrop.

Thousands of illegal immigrants and asylum seekers land on Italy’s long coastline each year, often coming ashore in remote coves or under cover of darkness to avoid detection.

The boat carrying the Sri Lankans landed just after midnight. Most of the men tried to run inland from the beach and hide, but they were caught by police.

Despite government attempts to crack down on traffickers, who often charge exorbitant rates, police report boatloads of illegal immigrants arriving on Italian shores almost weekly.

Many try to reach friends and family in northern Europe. Those who are stopped in Italy and are not given political refugee status are usually returned to their home countries.