On Thursday, August 22, for the second time in a week, border guards detected a car equipped with a hiding-place, which was intended for transporting migrants, but a citizen of Georgia was detained for providing persons who had illegally crossed the state border with a possibility to stay illegally in the territory of Latvia.
A border guard was conducting off-duty training exercise when he noticed a Ford Transit car with several persons of Asian origin standing next to it in Krāslava Municipality, about 500 metres from the border. When the migrants saw the border guard, they quickly moved towards the border. When a dog handler with a service dog was involved, it was established that the border violators returned to Belarus through a pre-cut hole in a permanent fence. While inspecting the vehicle, it was detected that the cargo box of the vehicle, loaded with planks, has a built-in hide-place. During the check on the driver's documents, it was stated that the driver of the car - a citizen of Georgia - was staying in the borderland, outside the national road, without an identity document and a special pass, while the vehicle was not covered by the vehicle owner's Compulsory Civil Liability Insurance (MTPL) (OCTA)
Criminal proceedings were initiated against a citizen of Georgia under Section 2851(3) and Section 15(4) of the Criminal Law for knowingly ensuring a person with the possibility to stay illegally in the Republic of Latvia, if such a possibility is provided for more than five persons
The mentioned offences are punishable by imprisonment from two till eight years.
Also, the person was subjected to administrative liability for staying in the Republic of Latvia without a valid travel document, for staying in the borderland without a special pass, as well as for using a vehicle in road traffic that has not been covered by the land vehicle owner's Compulsory Civil Liability Insurance.
In the past week, this was already the second case when a violator tried to transport migrants in an imaginative way, but this time the border guards were more alert and more skilful.
It has already been reported that on Tuesday, August 20, a non-citizen of Latvian was detained for transporting 24 persons, who had illegally crossed the state border, in a hiding-place built-in the vehicle.