A German national suspected of smuggling people has been detained near Latvia’s border with Belarus. Details about the man’s identity remain unknown.
The Latvian border guard agency said that during a vehicle check near the country's eastern border with Belarus, a German citizen was apprehended on suspicion of illegally moving migrants -- an offence that carries a prison sentence of up to ten years.
The man was reportedly transporting six people without valid travel documents, visas or residence permits at the time of his arrest.
The agency added that criminal proceedings had been initiated against the suspect, and that authorities suspect that the group of people had previously crossed the Belarus-Latvia border using irregular means.
Read AlsoLatvia: Baltic media reports cite ongoing migrant pressure at Belarus border
Ongoing tensions with Belarus
Latvian authorities have opened 94 criminal investigations involving a total of 80 people suspected of migrant smuggling or facilitating illegal residence amid heightened tensions throughout the region.
EU-member Latvia shares a 172-kilometer border with Belarus, a key ally of Russia.
Read AlsoBelarus 'coordinating' irregular migrant crossings, Latvia’s border guard claims
The European Union has repeatedly accused autocratic Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko of deliberately facilitating migrant flows into the EU for years as part of a hybrid form of warfare, designed to weaken the bloc. Minsk denies the allegations.
According to Latvian figures, there have been more than 7,000 interceptions of migrants trying to cross the border from Belarus irregularly to date this year.
Read AlsoLatvia: Baltic media reports cite ongoing migrant pressure at Belarus border
with dpa