Latvians arrested last month did not possess illegal drugs, police official says

August 12, Pozirk. The Latvian nationals arrested on July 26 have not been found to possess banned substances, Juryj Kazłoŭ of the State Forensic Examination Committee’s Viciebsk branch told Belarus 1.

The Latvians were released and are back in Latvia. After their arrest, they were held at a detention center and then at a hotel “on their own recognizance,” the state broadcaster reported.

On July 29, LETA reported that Belarusian police arrested four Latvians after allegedly finding marijuana in their car.

In connection with the incident, the Latvian foreign ministry reiterated its recommendation for Latvians to refrain from visiting Belarus.

Naša Niva found out that the arrests were made at an annual music festival in Brasłaŭ, Viciebsk region.

By the end of October 2023, Belarus had arrested and charged 25 Latvian nationals, according to the Latvian foreign ministry.

Belarus in 2022 announced a visa waiver program for Latvians, Lithuanians and Poles.

Also read: Four young people from Latvia arrested in Belarus