Kauno oro uoste sulaikytas man evading sentence man attempting to flee to Ireland

Vilnius, Lithuania — A 37-year-old man wanted in Lithuania for failing to serve a prison sentence was detained at Kaunas Airport on Thursday while attempting to board a flight to Ireland, the State Border Guard Service (VSAT) reported.

The man, who had been convicted of drunk driving that caused an accident, was also wanted for an outstanding murder conviction. A court had sentenced him to two years and four months in prison, but he had been evading the sentence and attempting to leave the country.

VSAT officers conducting border checks at Kaunas Airport identified the man as subject to an international arrest warrant issued by Marijampolė police on March 9. He was taken into temporary detention and later handed over to Kaunas police officers, the agency said.

According to VSAT, this year alone, officers have detained 114 people sought for various crimes or violations, including 93 at airports. Of those detained, 97 were Lithuanian citizens, six were from Russia, three each from the United Kingdom and Latvia, two from Belarus, and one each from Ireland, Moldova, and Ukraine.

In 2025, VSAT detained 803 wanted individuals, 583 of them at airports. The majority, 702, were Lithuanian citizens, while 38 were Russian, 15 British, 11 Belarusian, 11 Latvian, and four Irish.

In 2024, 767 people were detained, with 705 Lithuanian citizens among them.