On Nov. 7, police detained seven Latvian border guards who were suspected of illegally helping truck drivers cross the Latvian-Russian border without waiting in long lines at the Grebneva border crossing point. The border guards, plus two others accused of being involved with organized crime, have been detained for accepting bribes, which allowed some truck drivers to bypass the long line of vehicles avoiding the several day wait to cross the Latvian-Russian border. Police information suggested that members of criminal gangs in Latgale had been organizing the illegal border-crossing scheme. Two leaders of criminal gangs in Latgale who were arrested in September for hooliganism and drug possession are also suspected of being involved in organizing the illegal border-crossing scheme. The seven border guards are facing a criminal procedure for abuse of their posts, and if found guilty, they can be sentenced to up to eight years in jail. Since late August, between an average of 500-1,000 trucks a day have been waiting to cross the Latvian-Russian border.
