French citizen detained in Šakiai district for smuggling 19 irregular migrants

A French citizen has been detained in Lithuania’s Šakiai district on suspicion of smuggling 19 irregular migrants, state border guard service (VSAT) and police officials reported.

Acting on intelligence from VSAT’s Vilnius border guard criminal intelligence unit, police stopped a rented Volkswagen Crafter cargo van near Kiduliai village in Šakiai district on Sunday. The vehicle, bearing the logo of ride-hailing company Bolt Drive, was driven by a 23-year-old French national.

The cargo area was found to be carrying 19 passengers. Preliminary data indicates 11 were Iranian nationals, while four each were from Pakistan and Afghanistan. According to VSAT, all but two of the migrants lacked any identity or citizenship documents.

The French driver was arrested and placed in custody. The Pagėgiai border guard unit of VSAT has launched a pre-trial investigation into the suspected smuggling of persons across the state border for financial gain, overseen by a prosecutor from the Kaunas regional prosecutor’s office. Under Lithuanian law, such offences carry penalties of up to eight years in prison.

On Tuesday, a court ordered the French citizen to be held in pre-trial detention for three months. The Volkswagen Crafter, considered an instrument of the crime, has been temporarily seized at a Pagėgiai border guard unit facility.

VSAT noted that irregular migrants apprehended while travelling the so-called Latvian route are typically returned to Latvian authorities after necessary procedures are completed.