Six migrants found in car driven by Georgian national

Lithuanian border guards and police have detained a 41-year-old Georgian national in the Anykščiai district after he was found transporting six undocumented migrants in a Volkswagen Touran, LRT reports.

The migrants, five from Eritrea and one from Somalia, were discovered in the car’s trunk and passenger compartment. Authorities have launched a pre-trial investigation into the suspected smuggling of persons across the state border for personal gain, led by prosecutors from the Panevėžys Regional Prosecutor’s Office.

Under Lithuanian law, such offences carry penalties ranging from fines to up to eight years in prison. A court has ordered the Georgian driver to be held in custody for three months pending trial.

The migrants, apprehended on the so-called Latvian route, are being returned to Latvian authorities after completing necessary procedures.