The Border Guard’s Nadodrzański Division reported on 20 October 2026 that its new mobile patrol concept—roving teams equipped with thermal cameras and licence-plate readers—intercepted two foreigners lacking valid entry documents near the Świecko–Frankfurt (Oder) motorway crossing. The duo, identified as citizens of Syria and Iraq, had hidden in the trailer of a Slovak-registered lorry bound for Berlin. The arrest is part of Operation Odra Shield, launched in July 2025 when Poland reinstated internal Schengen checks at the German and Lithuanian borders. Since then, mobile patrols have checked more than 230,000 vehicles and detained 418 irregular migrants and 47 suspected smugglers, according to Border Guard figures. Officers credit mobile units with reducing secondary migration flows that exploit freight traffic to bypass fixed checkpoints. The latest case began when an automated plate reader flagged the truck for a weight anomaly; a heartbeat sensor then confirmed human presence inside the cargo hold. The driver was released after prosecutors found no evidence of complicity, but the transport company faces a fine of up to PLN 30,000 (€6,600) for failing to secure the trailer. Freight operators are reminded that under EU Directive 2002/90 they are liable for carriers’ sanctions if due diligence is not shown. The two migrants have applied for asylum in Germany and were handed over under the bilateral readmission protocol. Companies running time-sensitive loads across the A2 corridor should expect random stops by mobile patrols and ensure that drivers carry proof of load-security checks.
