Estonia Sends Unit to Latvia to Combat Illegal Migration, Latvia Detains Five Smugglers
Latvia’s border guard detained five people in 24 hours for smuggling migrants, while Estonia deployed a 12-member unit to assist Latvian authorities in preventing illegal border crossings.
Latvia’s State Border Guard has arrested five individuals over the past day on suspicion of illegally transporting migrants into the country. The arrests are linked to three separate incidents, in which a total of 27 people who had illegally crossed the Belarus-Latvia border were being smuggled. All migrants were returned to the Belarusian border.
In the first case, the smuggling operation was organized by citizens of Ukraine and Latvia; in the second, a Turkish citizen; and in the third, a Lithuanian citizen.
Earlier this week, Estonia dispatched a 12-member unit from the Police and Border Guard Board (ESTPOL11) to Latvia to help local authorities stop illegal border crossings. The unit has already arrived and begun its mission.
According to Veiko Kommusaar, head of Estonia’s border guard, the assistance was requested by Latvian border guard representatives. The deployment is part of regional cooperation to address illegal migration from Belarus.
