In Latgale, border guards detained several smugglers of illegal migrants. In one case, the driver, attempting to evade inspection, initiated a chase, crashed into a tree, and then tried to flee with the passengers.
This past weekend was tense for Latvian border guards. In just a few days, five suspected smugglers of illegal migrants were detained, along with twenty individuals who illegally entered Latvia through the Belarusian border.
The most dramatic incident occurred on Friday in the Andrupene municipality. Border guards attempted to stop a Chrysler vehicle for inspection, but the driver ignored the demands and tried to escape.
During the chase, he lost control, veered off the road, and crashed into a tree. After the accident, the driver and passengers left the vehicle and fled.
Border guard officers and dog handlers were involved in the search. As a result, five individuals without documents, visas, and residence permits in Latvia were detained. Law enforcement established that all of them had previously illegally crossed the Latvian-Belarusian border.
Later, service dogs helped locate the driver of the vehicle, who turned out to be a citizen of Moldova.
Meanwhile, in the Rezekne region, Toyota and Honda vehicles driven by two other Moldovan citizens were stopped. According to the border guard, they were assisting in organizing the transportation of migrants. Along with them, two more illegal migrants were detained.
Another incident was recorded in the Skrudaliena municipality. There, border guards stopped a Ford minibus driven by a citizen of Ukraine. Seven individuals of Asian descent without documents for staying in the country were found inside.
On Sunday, another Moldovan citizen was detained in the Vecsaliena municipality for transporting six illegal migrants in a Toyota vehicle.
During inspections, it was also discovered that the Moldovan citizens were in Latvia without the mandatory security questionnaire, and the vehicles used were not registered properly.
In addition to administrative processes, criminal cases have been initiated against four Moldovan citizens and one Ukrainian citizen.
Latvian border guards regularly report attempts to illegally cross the border with Belarus. Moreover, there are increasingly frequent cases where specially organized groups of drivers from third countries are used for further transportation of migrants.
Most of these cases are related not only to illegal border crossings but also to the activities of organized smuggling groups that transport migrants deeper into the European Union.
