Due to the spywork of Viceroy Pedro Téllez-Girón, Duke of Osuna, the expedition was discovered and its members were captured or killed almost in their totality.

[1] The expedition sailed off in two naos disguised as Venetian merchants, escorted by a fleet of galleys and galiots commanded by admiral Azan Bey to support them if necessary.

Once on board, he ascertained the crews were actually Turks pretending to be Venetians and the ships carried too artillery for mere merchants.

He called to his palace all the paupers in Sicily, and after paying alms to the children, the women and the elderly, he announced he would increase his payment to all men who could long-jump a wooden bar, the higher the better.

Those who beat the test, instead of being paid, were immediately arrested for vagrancy and thrown to galleys, with Osuna chastising them for living off charity despite having proved to be physically fit to work.