This year, the State Border Guard (SBG) has initiated criminal proceedings against 76 individuals for transporting illegal refugees from Belarus or providing them with the opportunity to stay in Latvia.
On Monday, border guards stopped a "Peugeot" car driven by a Latvian citizen in the Kastulinskas municipality of the Kraslava region. During the inspection of the vehicle, the border guards discovered seven individuals of Asian descent in the cabin and trunk without valid travel documents, visas, or residence permits.
A criminal case has been initiated against the transporter for providing a large number of individuals with the opportunity to illegally reside in Latvia. The seven individuals were returned to the border with Belarus. No information has been provided about their further fate.
An administrative case has also been initiated against the transporter for violating the state border law, which requires individuals at the border to have and present upon request by a border guard a document confirming their identity and right to stay in Latvia.
As reported, this year, a total of 10,424 individuals have been detained for illegally crossing the Latvian-Belarusian border. 25 migrants were allowed to cross the border for humanitarian reasons.
