{"id":211437,"date":"2026-11-11T22:45:19","date_gmt":"2026-11-11T19:45:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/211437\/"},"modified":"2026-11-11T22:45:22","modified_gmt":"2026-11-11T19:45:22","slug":"belarusian-arrested-in-latvia-for-transporting-seven-irregular-migrants","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/211437\/","title":{"rendered":"Belarusian arrested in Latvia for transporting seven irregular migrants"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n (Viesturs Radovics, Delfi)<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

November 11, Pozirk<\/em>.<\/strong> Latvian border guards arrested a citizen of Belarus on November 10 for transporting seven individuals who had illegally crossed into Latvia from the Belarusian territory, according to country\u2019s State Border Guard.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The agency reported that the man\u2019s \u0160koda was stopped in the Ludza municipality, and its passengers were found without valid visas or residence permits. Some of them were hiding inside the car\u2019s trunk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A criminal case was opened against the driver. The migrants were \u201cprevented from continuing their illegal journey,\u201d the agency said, without elaborating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since the beginning of 2026, the State Border Guard has opened 179 criminal cases against 121 people for illegally transporting migrants and facilitating their illegal stay in Latvia, the report said. One individual has been sentenced to six years and one month in prison and another has been given a five-year prison term on such charges, the agency warned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last week, Latvia increased the maximum possible prison term for facilitating illegal migration to 12 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year, Latvia has been the primary target of irregular migration via Belarus, accounting for 84.3 percent of the 15,200 irregular entry attempts reported by Belarus\u2019 western neighbors since the start of 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The flow of people eager to cross into the EU surged in spring 2021 after Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka, angered by EU sanctions, had indicated that Minsk would not prevent asylum seekers from Africa and Asia from using Belarus as a route to the EU.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In June 2021, the Belarusian government suspended a readmission agreement with the EU in response to sanctions that followed the forced landing of a Ryanair flight in Minsk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Latvia, Lithuania and Poland call the migration crisis a \u201chybrid attack\u201d orchestrated by Minsk and Moscow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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