Driver detained in Krāslava region for transporting five illegal border crossers

On Tuesday, 18 August, National Armed Forces soldiers in the Krāslava region spotted a Volvo car on a road in Robežnieki parish, driven by a non-citizen of Latvia. A search of the vehicle's cabin and trunk revealed five people without valid travel documents, visas or residence permits — all of whom had previously crossed the border with Belarus illegally.

A criminal case was opened against the driver under Article 285, part three of the Criminal Law, which covers the illegal transport of persons across the state border during a period of enhanced border protection or a state of emergency. The offence carries a prison sentence of two to ten years. All five people found in the vehicle were prevented from further attempting to cross the border illegally.

Wider context

So far this year, the State Border Guard has opened 125 criminal proceedings over the illegal transport of persons or facilitation of their illegal stay in Latvia, involving 101 individuals. Since 10 August, Latvia has been running Operation "Vilkatis," a set of measures to curb illegal migration, aimed at significantly reducing illegal border crossings in the eastern part of the country. In the week since the operation began, 450 people were prevented from crossing the border illegally.

Colonel Arvis Zīle, head of the Crisis Management Centre coordinating the operation, said the situation at the border remains tense, with new damage to the fence and infrastructure recorded during the week. Soldiers and National Guard members continue to monitor and patrol the border and carry out engineering work, while since 14 August border guards, together with police, have been using ground-penetrating radar to scan soil layers for possible underground tunnels. Residents have been actively reporting suspicious sightings during the operation.