A Ukrainian national has been detained by the authorities after he was caught attempting to smuggle nine Sub-Saharan illegal immigrants into Germany.
A combined effort by German federal police and the Polish Border Guard identified a suspicious vehicle near the Polish-German border crossing at Frankfurt an der Oder on Tuesday morning, Nius reported.
When the vehicle was pulled over, the driver fled the scene on foot and took refuge in a nearby forest.
Upon searching the vehicle, the authorities found eight men and one woman hiding in a space where the rear seats had been removed. An examination of their papers showed they originated from Somalia, Ethiopia, Yemen, Sudan, and Eritrea and were aged between 17 and 36.
None of the occupants had valid travel documents to legally enter Germany.
The driver was tracked down by officers with the assistance of a police helicopter. He turned out to be a 46-year-old Ukrainian national with a Polish residence permit and a fake driver’s license. He has been placed in custody pending further investigation, and the local public prosecutor’s office is expected to file charges for people smuggling, forgery, and driving without a valid license.
Four of the illegal migrants were minors and have been transferred to the youth welfare office in Germany, while the rest of the group was taken to a migrant reception center in Brandenburg.
