Latvian, Polish, Lithuanian border guards crack int'l human trafficking ring

An international organized crime group illegally transporting Vietnamese citizens along the so-called Baltic route was put out of business through joint efforts by border guards of Latvia, Poland and Lithuania.

The group was organizing illegal transportation of Vietnamese through Russia and the Baltic states to Poland, the Latvian State Border Guard said on Tuesday.

During the international operation, one Polish citizen and two Russian citizens of Chechen origin, who had permits for permanent residence in Poland, were detained. The detentions were made in Latvia, Poland and Lithuania.

Latvian border guards detained 10 other Chechens with Russian citizenship, who had crossed the Latvian border illegally, bringing with them illegal immigrants from Vietnam.

Besides that, the Lithuanian authorities detained one Russian citizen of Chechen origin, one of the masterminds of the human trafficking ring, for whom a European Arrest Warrant had been issued.

Altogether 84 illegal immigrants from Vietnam were detained, including 38 Vietnamese detained by border guards in Latvia, 42 in Poland and four in Lithuania.

The total number of illegal immigrants smuggled by this organized crime group is not known. Endit