People trafficking attempts foiled

  • 2007-09-14
  • From wire reports
VILNIUS - A truck from Lithuania containing a cargo of illegal migrants to western Europe has been caught at the Polish-German border, Lithuanian National Radio has reported.

On Thursday, Polish border guards and the German federal police found 11 migrants hiding behind a cargo of timber in a German-bound truck from Lithuania at the border crossing point in Svieck.

A spokesperson for Polish border guards said 8 of the 11 illegal aliens were Chechens, and that several children were among them.

All were identified as escapees from the Dembc illegal alien camp near Warsaw. They were travelling with two citizens of Sri Lanka and one Indian. They said they embarked on their journey from a point in Lithuania approximately 50 kilometers from the border but were unable to specify the exact location.

The 43-year-old Lithuanian truck driver was arrested by German police.

It is the second truck from Lithuania carrying illegal migrants to be detained at the Svieck crossing point this week. On Monday, border guards arrested a 34-year-old Lithuanian driver transporting 12 people from Pakistan and Vietnam hidden behind a cargo of furniture.