Police officers from the Środa Śląska road traffic unit were carrying out tasks related to safety on the district’s main roads and, before 6:00 p.m., noticed a van with faulty lighting. – The officers were also struck by the vehicle’s appearance, which indicated that it was significantly overloaded – explains Asp. Sgt. Łukasz Dutkowiak, press spokesman for the Provincial Police Commander in Wrocław.
He adds:
The police stopped him for inspection and it turned out that the man behind the wheel was travelling on the A4 motorway towards Germany.
That was not the end of it, however. There were far more passengers inside than the vehicle was permitted to carry. The spokesman said: – In a space adapted to carry 9 people, officers found a total of 22. Their appearance indicated that they came from Middle Eastern countries, and the carrier turned out to be a 21-year-old Ukrainian citizen. He was transporting 18 men, a woman and two children in a Citroën van. These people had no documents authorising them to stay legally in our country.
Even more frighteningly, most of the people were lying on the vehicle’s floor, covered with clothes, and their appearance indicated that they might have been travelling for many days. The officers said:
When officers attempted to establish their identities, it turned out that they had no documents at all and did not speak any European languages, which further complicated the intervention.
The immigrants were provided with water and food, as well as access to basic medical care. The men were taken to the police headquarters, while the woman and the two children were transported to one of Wrocław’s hospitals.
The carrier, a 21-year-old Ukrainian citizen, was detained. He may face a sentence ranging from 6 months to as many as 8 years. (He will appear before the court under an expedited procedure.)
Moreover, the young Ukrainian’s driving privileges were suspended, and the vehicle’s registration certificate was also retained due to its technical condition and its failure to meet the requirements for road use. The police said:
Border Guard officers will handle the migrants’ case; they have already taken custody from the police of the citizens of Middle Eastern countries.