Lithuanian canine teams help Latvia detain 55 migrants

Lithuania’s State Border Guard Service canine teams helped Latvian authorities detain 55 irregular migrants in two operations, LRT reported, citing the State Border Guard Service.

In the first operation, border guards detected a breach of a physical barrier and found that 39 people had entered Latvian territory and moved inland. A Lithuanian canine officer and the service dog Chico joined a Latvian officer in searching for them.

Chico followed the migrants’ trail through a forest and marshes for about two kilometres before the group split up. Border guards initially detained four people, while a Latvian officer searching a nearby area found and detained three more.

The dog later detected another trail, which the officers followed through marshland for about three kilometres. Several more people were detained with the dog’s help. A drone used to survey difficult-to-reach areas spotted three additional individuals, while the final four were detained after officers followed tracks for another 2.5 kilometres.

All 39 people who had crossed the state border illegally were detained during the operation.

In the second operation, surveillance cameras showed people climbing over a physical barrier and moving deeper into Latvian territory. A Lithuanian canine officer and the Belgian shepherd Argo quickly found their trail. The pursuit through forest and marshland lasted more than three kilometres and ended with the detention of 16 people.

All those detained were handed over to Latvian authorities, who are conducting further procedural actions.