Estonia jails first migrant smuggler as prosecutions continue

Estonia has sentenced its first migrant smuggler to prison as authorities prepare for a possible rise in migration pressure, ERR reported. The Bulgarian citizen was given a one-year-and-10-month sentence, with three months to be served immediately, followed by deportation and an entry ban.

Police arrested the man three days before the ruling after finding seven Bangladeshi migrants who had been brought into Estonia illegally in his five-seat car. Pärnu County Court convicted him in an expedited hearing on Friday.

Since July, police have identified more than 300 migrants staying illegally in Estonia. Smugglers often transport people in car boots or concealed inside vans. Police have opened nearly 50 criminal cases and identified 11 people suspected of transporting or organising the journeys. Investigations into several other suspected smugglers are continuing.

The Justice Ministry says current penalties are insufficient for organised migrant smuggling and is seeking tougher sentences. The maximum prison term is currently three years; a proposed bill would raise it to five years.

The Police and Border Guard Board expects migration pressure on Estonia to increase significantly in the coming weeks. It says people crossing illegally from Belarus are trying to escape the cold before freezing temperatures arrive, although cold weather continues along the route through Latvia to Estonia.

Tallinn’s detention centre is already close to capacity, with just over 240 people there on Friday morning. Estonia has returned 105 people to Latvia so far, but Latvia’s ability to receive more is limited while the migrant crisis on its border with Belarus continues.