Major SG Joanna Konieczniak, spokesperson for the Nadodrzański Border Guard Unit:
As part of a wide-ranging investigation conducted by officers of the Border Guard post in Zgorzelec and officers of the Silesian Border Guard Unit, on 7 May this year the National Prosecutor’s Office filed an indictment with the Regional Court in Opole against a 30-year-old citizen of the Slovak Republic, charged with participation in an organised criminal group involved in arranging for foreigners to cross the state border of the Republic of Poland in violation of regulations.
The Slovak national was detained by officers from Zgorzelec. He was caught red-handed while a foreigner was attempting to cross the Polish-German border. Fifteen Syrian citizens were hidden in the vehicle he was driving.
The investigation established that the Slovak national was part of an organised criminal group operating on behalf of citizens of Middle Eastern countries staying in Austria. The spokesperson said: “All the detained individuals acted as part of an organised criminal group involved in arranging the illegal transport of foreigners to Western European countries.”
She added:
In July last year, officers of the Silesian Border Guard Unit detained 10 foreigners found in the cargo area of a bus-type passenger vehicle on the A4 motorway. As a result of intensive official activities, officers soon detained the driver, who had fled the scene. He turned out to be a 25-year-old Ukrainian citizen. The Ukrainian national was placed in pre-trial detention.
Border Guard officers established the identities of those responsible both for organising and transporting migrants from the Silesian Voivodeship to the territory of the Federal Republic of Germany, and from Slovakia through the Czech Republic to the border with Germany. Border Guard:
It turned out that they were citizens of the Russian Federation of Chechen nationality who were enjoying international protection in our country. Their detention was made possible through cooperation between officers of the Nadodrzański, Silesian and Nadwiślański Border Guard Units. In addition, the Chechens were charged with making criminal threats in order to influence the suspect.
In October, the National Prosecutor’s Office in Katowice filed an indictment with the Regional Court in Opole against three foreigners charged with belonging to an organised group involved in arranging illegal border crossings. The two Chechens and the Ukrainian face up to eight years in prison.