Fifteen people—owners of transport companies, freight forwarders, dispatchers and drivers—were charged with participating in the operation. An investigation by the District Prosecutor’s Office in Jelenia Góra established that Henryk S. posted an online offer to transport cargo, aimed at transport companies. Companies from various parts of Poland that accepted the assignment passed instructions on to their drivers. These instructions stated that the drivers would transport compacted plastic waste. However, it turned out that in a town near Berlin they loaded various types of municipal waste.
Some of the drivers, surprised by the type of cargo, contacted their superiors. The superiors then called Henryk S., who assured them that the cargo was legal. However, as the prosecutor’s office established, no one had applied to the Chief Inspectorate for Environmental Protection for permission to transport the waste.
Around 200 tons of waste were brought to Poland in September 2006. They were first stored in hangars on the grounds of a former Soviet airfield in Różyniec (Bolesławiec County), and later in a building in Gruszczyn (Greater Poland Voivodeship). A company from Bolesławiec and one from Kruszyn were among those involved in the operation.
The defendants pleaded guilty and submitted motions requesting convictions without a trial. The prosecutor supported these motions. Two men are wanted under arrest warrants, while one is wanted under a European Arrest Warrant.
None of the defendants had previously been convicted. The date of the court hearing has not yet been set.
(information from the District Prosecutor’s Office in Jelenia Góra/ii)