As reported, the day before, Kraslava border guards found 28 people who illegally crossed the state border into Latvia from Belarus.
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Investigating the circumstances of the illegal border crossing and assessing the adjacent territory, border guards in the Kaplava border guard department’s area of responsibility found an underground tunnel, camouflaged with moss and bushes, 20 meters from the border.
All 28 individuals were detained under Article 4 of the State Border Guard Service Act when attempting to illegally cross the state border and were returned to the country of departure.
This is the second case where a tunnel was used to illegally cross the state border into Latvia.
It was previously reported that on August 10, border guards in the Augšdaugava district detained 15 people who illegally crossed the state border from Belarus through an underground tunnel.
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To strengthen security at the eastern border, Latvia launched Operation “Vilkatis” on August 11, aimed at significantly reducing the number of illegal border crossings in eastern Latvia and preventing similar incidents in the future.
The State Border Guard Service, in cooperation with the State Police, also began scanning soil layers along the Latvia-Belarus border using ground-penetrating radar to detect other underground tunnels.
In response to the increased influx of illegal migrants encouraged by Belarus, the enhanced border security regime on both sides of the border will remain in effect until the end of the year.
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