Border-Guard officers from the Czeremcha and Świebodzin posts, backed by cyber-crime investigators, arrested a 41-year-old Ukrainian national on 7 May in western Poland. Prosecutors allege he coordinated a network that helped at least 124 migrants from Asia and Africa cross Poland’s eastern frontier illegally, then move onward toward Germany. Investigators say clients from Iran, Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Eritrea and several other countries paid up to €4,000 each for forged documents and transport. The ring allegedly exploited gaps along the green border with Belarus before regrouping on the Polish side, where drivers picked migrants up in unmarked vans. Nineteen accomplices have already been charged; more arrests are expected. If convicted, the suspect faces up to eight years in prison and a deportation order. The case illustrates how smuggling groups continue to adapt despite a 96 % drop in recorded crossings from Belarus since Warsaw introduced “zero-tolerance” push-back rules last year. For corporate security teams the incident underscores the importance of route-risk assessments for staff travelling near exclusion zones and for logistics providers operating along east-west corridors. Companies may also face stricter cargo inspections as authorities tighten controls to disrupt illicit networks.
Source: Kresy.pl
