Latvian National Border Guard held a criminal group for illegal traffic of Chinese nationals over Latvian border. Latvian National Border Guard spokespeople say that in early September the Border Guard criminal investigation structural units in cooperation with Latvian National Police held four members of a criminal gang that organized illegal traffic of Chinese nationals over Latvian border. The Chinese were illegally transported into Latvia from Russia and were living in Latvia without valid visas, residence permits or the residence permits of the European Union residents. The Chinese were detained at Ludza county police department isolator. The criminal procedure has been initiated against the criminal gang members for the illegal trafficking of individuals. During the search at home of one of the members of the group, illegally stored ammunition was found. The investigation is ongoing.
A Latvian citizen attempted smuggling a kilogram of cocaine into Ireland. They were held at Dublin airport, the British daily Belfast Telegraph reports. The 44 year-old Latvian citizen, who is permanently residing in Dublin, had swallowed the cocaine worth 70,000 euros on the black market. The Latvian citizen arrived from French Guiana with a flight transfer in Paris. In the operations against the smugglers of Latvia, Northern Ireland and Romania, Irish customs officers have held 289,000 cigarettes, and 50 kilograms of heroin.
The dismembered body of a young woman was found in a lake in northeastern Latvia, was a sister of a Latvian woman who also was recently brutally murdered
in Spain, and the suspected killer of both sisters has been detained, law enforcement authorities said. Ints Kuzis, chief of the Riga criminal police, said that last October a 23-year-old woman disappeared in the northeastern Latvian district of Madona. The woman, however, had been living and working Riga. Police in Riga launched a criminal inquiry to find the girl as they already suspected that she might be murdered. The investigation found that the woman had been seen together with a 43-year-old man, a Latvian citizen, who was not apprehended at that time and had reportedly fled to a foreign country. The man had once been the boyfriend of the missing girl's sister, 26, who was residing in Spain. It was established that the man had terrorized and threatened his girlfriend. Investigators have grounds to believe that the former boyfriend of one of the sisters killed both of them.
Latvian Officers Union on Monday urged Latvian Defense Minister Vinets Veldre to develop a state program for raising patriotism.
Latvian Defense Ministry spokeswoman Vineta Kleine said that during the meeting the union members were interested in Latvian defense policy in the context of international topicalities. During the meeting the defense minister promised to facilitate the cooperation between Latvian Officers Union and Youth Guard movement, which has an important role in facilitating patriotism. Currently Latvian Officers Union has 110 members, who care for their elderly colleagues. The union is actively involved in attracting school pupils.
