A Polish Border Guard unit from detained a 35-year-old Georgian suspected of being a member of an organized group smuggling people from Belarus to Poland and further west in Europe.
The detention of the 35-year-old occurred last week in the Wołomin district, near Warsaw. At the time of the arrest, the Georgian attempted to escape but was unsuccessful, said the spokesperson for the Vistula Border Guard Unit, Captain Dagmara Bielec.
In addition, during a search of the suspect’s residence, officers secured four passports issued by the authorities of Iran and a Slovenian ID card; these have been submitted as evidence in the case and may indicate the criminal activity of the Georgian, stated Bielec.
Investigators believe that the 35-year-old organized the crossing of at least six Iranian citizens from Belarus to Poland. The individuals were caught in November last year by border guard officers while being transported from Poland’s eastern border to Germany.
The driver of the car transporting the Iranians was also apprehended and remains in temporary custody for illegal border crossing.
The 35-year-old Georgian was charged with organizing the illegal crossing of the Polish border for others and was brought to the Regional Prosecutor’s Office in Węgrów. Due to the nature of the offense and his escape attempt, the local district court issued a decision to apply for a temporary arrest for three months. If found guilty, the detainee faces six months to eight years in prison.
As Remix News previously reported, the vast majority of nationals involved in the people smuggling business in Poland are Ukrainian and Georgian nationals.
