In less than a week Estonian police detained 46 foreign nationals who had entered the country illegally from Belarus via Latvia; meanwhile, a court has remanded a 54-year-old Romanian citizen in custody on suspicion of organizing illegal migration, reports ERR News.
Over the past week, police detained foreign nationals lacking the legal right to be in the country in several Tallinn neighborhoods and near the Latvian border. Police learned of the unauthorized individuals through reports from local residents and information gathered by officers.
Five of the 46 migrants were detained in Pärnu County. On the 19th of September, around 11:00 AM, officers from the Pärnu precinct, together with Finnish border guards, conducted checks at the former Ikla border crossing point, where they stopped a car with Latvian license plates driven by a 54-year-old Romanian citizen. While an officer was speaking with the driver, a colleague noticed a human hand amidst the bags. Upon further inspection, police discovered five individuals attempting to hide behind the luggage. It was discovered that five individuals of South Asian origin were in the car with the Romanian national; they were attempting to travel illegally from Belarus, through Latvia, to Estonia.
The migrants are currently being held at a detention center in Tallinn, while the court has ordered the Romanian national to be remanded in custody. A criminal case has been initiated regarding the illegal transport of foreign nationals into Estonian territory. Prosecutor Keili Tiirik stated that the criminal investigation would determine the route the foreign nationals took to reach Estonia, though
preliminary information suggests they arrived in Latvia from a camp in Belarus.
Gathered evidence indicates that the Romanian citizen picked up the individuals within Latvian territory, concealed them, and instructed them to keep their heads down. This implies the suspect was aware he was illegally transporting people into Estonia and knew he would be punished if the transport were discovered.
So far this year, nearly 50 criminal cases have been opened in connection with the illegal transport of people into Estonia. Five individuals are currently in custody for the offense.
Since July, Estonian police have detained 187 individuals who entered the country illegally. Seventy-two individuals—who had no legal grounds to stay in Estonia and had arrived via Latvia from Belarus—have been returned to Latvia.
Read also: More than 50 migrants detained in Estonia insist they are minors
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