10 Estonians arrested for trafficking migrants from Belarus
Ten Estonians have been caught trafficking middle eastern migrants who crossed the Belarusian border into Europe by Polish and Lithuanian authorities since the crisis began, newspaper EPL reported on Monday.
The smugglers have been caught trying to take migrants, mostly from Iraq, to other central European countries by car.
"When thousands of people cross the border illegally and want to go somewhere, they inevitably create the need for people to be willing to transport them. Estonians have also participated," said Emeri Põld, from the Northern Prefecture.
The Estonians all have some connection with Iraqi or Syrian communities in Finland, Põld said.
Thousands of mostly Iraqi migrants have tried to cross the borders of Lithuania, Latvia and Poland from Belarus since May 2021 after Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko threatened to send "migrants and drugs" to Europe.
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Editor: Helen Wright
