On foot, by bus, train, car – four Moroccan citizens tried to enter Lithuania from Latvia in various ways. This time they chose a car for the journey, but their plans were disrupted by border guards who stopped them at the border. It turned out that these foreigners had already tried to enter Lithuania from the neighboring country more than once, and one of them – even for the third time, VSAT reports.
Read more Martynas Katelynas calls to restore the possibility of warning shots for officers using firearms
On Wednesday evening, officers of the Palanga Border Guard Post of the Coastal Border Guard Unit of VSAT, while carrying out internal border control and monitoring migration processes at the border with Latvia, stopped a “Ford C-Max” car arriving from the neighboring country for inspection.
The car with Latvian license plates was driven by a 59-year-old Latvian citizen. VSAT officers’ attention was drawn to four passengers of the “Ford,” Moroccan citizens aged 21, two aged 24, and 27. They presented documents issued by the Latvian Foreigners Registration Center (LVA) to the border guards but had no other documents granting the right to enter and stay in Lithuania.
After checking the information, VSAT officers found out that these four Moroccans had previously stayed illegally.
All four had already tried this route before – due to illegal border crossing, the Africans were detained and later handed over to Latvian authorities. However, this did not stop their attempts to enter Lithuania – one of them is being detained for the third time.
For their journey westward, they have chosen different methods: crossing the border on foot, traveling by buses, trains, and cars. This time they chose a car, but the journey ended as soon as they reached Lithuania.
Read more „BaltCap“ fund demands 40 million euros compensation from the audit company
The border guards detained the Moroccan citizens and, after questioning, handed them over to the VSAT Foreigners Registration Center in Pabradė.
The 59-year-old Latvian citizen who was driving the car was also detained and placed in custody. After a night in custody, the man was questioned and released the next day. He was assigned a preventive measure – an obligation to periodically register at the police station.
A pre-trial investigation has been initiated at the State Border Guard Service for illegal transportation of people across the state border, led by a prosecutor from the Criminal Prosecution Division of the Klaipėda District Prosecutor’s Office.
For such a criminal offense, the law provides for a fine or imprisonment for up to six years.
After clarifying the circumstances of the incident and completing the necessary procedures, Lithuanian border guards usually return the individuals to their Latvian colleagues under the Readmission Agreement.
Read more Why do volcanic ashes stop airplanes?
