Lithuanian and Polish border guards carry out two-stage ops against illegal immigrants

  • 2015-08-25
  • BNS/TBT Staff/VILNIUS

On August 25, the Lithuanian State Border Guard service confirmed Lithuanian and Polish border guards recently carried out a two-stage operation aimed at cracking down on the smuggling of illegal immigrants.

The operations took place on August 14-17, and August 21-24. 

In addition to Lithuanian and Polish border guards, police and customs officers set up temporary road blocks on the roads between the two countries.

They inspected 1,454 vehicles and 3,124 persons crossing the border.

They also recorded several attempts to smuggle illegal immigrants into Lithuania and Poland.

According to the Lithuanian daily, Lietuvos Rytas, eight illegal immigrants from Vietnam were detained the near Polish border on August 21, after they were found hiding inside a truck with Estonian registration plates.

Figures from the Lithuanian State Border Guard Service show the flow of illegal immigrants from Georgia, seen in recent years, has been on the decrease.

Meanwhile, the number of incoming Vietnamese citizens is rising, with 32 detained in Lithuania during the first half of 2013.

Over the first half of 2014, the number rose to 55, then again increased to 158 in the first half of this year.

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