Ukrainian citizen sentenced in Estonia for migrant smuggling
Pärnu District Court in Estonia has sentenced a 37-year-old Ukrainian citizen to one year and ten months in prison for smuggling migrants into the country. After serving his term he will be expelled and banned from Estonia for five years.
A court in Pärnu, Estonia, has sentenced a 37-year-old Ukrainian citizen, Oleksandr Suvorov, for bringing migrants into the country illegally. He received a prison term of one year and ten months, to be followed by expulsion and an entry ban.
The detention
Estonian police detained Suvorov on October 4 in Mäeküla, Järva County. Four people who had entered Estonia illegally were found in his vehicle: one Algerian citizen and three Somali citizens.
The verdict
The case was handled under an expedited procedure. Of the sentence, two months must be served immediately. The remainder was suspended for a probationary period of two and a half years, on condition that he commits no further intentional crimes.
After serving his term, Suvorov will be ordered to leave Estonia and will be barred from re-entering the country for five years.
Penalties under the law
Under Estonian law, a person who brings a foreign national across the border illegally can face up to three years in prison. If the foreigner's health or life is put at serious risk, the maximum is seven years.
