On Wednesday, October 21st, border guards in Valmiera region detained two people transporting people who had illegally crossed the state border, according to a release from the State Border Guard.
After receiving a tip-off, border guards stopped a Volkswagen car on the highway, driven by a Ukrainian citizen, with another Ukrainian citizen sitting in the passenger seat next to it. Upon checking the vehicle, 13 persons without valid travel documents and valid visas or residence permits, who had previously illegally crossed the Belarusian-Latvian border, were found inside.
The location of the discovery is interesting. Valmiera is in north-western Latvia, a long way from the eastern border with Belarus. Usually, such illegal border crossers are thought to head south-east towards Germany and other large EU member states. That this batch was found in Valmiera may suggest they were heading elsewhere, perhaps to Estonia and Finland.
Criminal proceedings have been initiated against the Ukrainian people smugglers for the illegal movement of persons across the state border. It was also found that the Ukrainian citizens themselves were staying in Latvia without the necessary papers mand did not have a valid visa or residence permit. One of the Ukrainian citizens was staying in Latvia without a valid travel document. It was also found that the driver did not have a valid driving license. They will now be liable for these violations in addition to the people smuggling charges.
The State Border Guard has already initiated 168 criminal proceedings this year against 119 persons for the illegal movement of persons and/or providing persons with the opportunity to illegally reside in Latvia.
Jail terms of up to 10 years can be the result of such criminal activity.
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