The Abu Harbi (“Father of War”) smuggling network, which operates along Poland’s borders, has recently focused on transporting illegal migrants from Belarus into Latvia, then onward to Lithuania and Poland. Their ultimate destination is Germany, according to information obtained by the news portal Niezalezna.pl. We have gained access to messages from a dedicated Telegram group intended for Eritreans and Ethiopians. Notably, citizens of these countries have frequently been detained by the Polish Border Guard along the Lithuanian border in recent weeks.
We first reported on the Abu Harbi network in 2024. The group has been involved in smuggling large numbers of illegal migrants through Belarus into European Union countries, including Poland. Members openly boast about their operations by sharing photos and videos of illegal border crossings and arrivals in European cities through various messaging platforms. The Telegram group monitored by our reporters currently has more than 3,000 users.
“We Will Provide Cars”
Activity intensified in May. Messages circulated on Telegram informing migrants that vehicles were available around the clock to transport them from Minsk to the Latvian border. From there, transportation could be arranged to Riga, Lithuania, and, after changing vehicles, onward to other destinations. Alternatively, migrants could travel directly from the Latvian border to Warsaw or even Berlin.
In every scenario, the first payment was to be made only after arriving in Warsaw.
“No one pays any money in Lithuania or Riga,” one message stated.
The smugglers further explained:
“The first part of the payment is settled in Warsaw, and the second after arriving in Germany.”
Another message read:
“People who know how to use Google Maps can enter the forest on their own without a guide and will pay less.”
The organizers added:
“We will provide them with coordinates that allow them to cross, and then we will supply vehicles from the border to Germany or to their final destination.”
The Telegram group is specifically aimed at Eritreans and Ethiopians interested in making an illegal journey from Belarus into the European Union. Recent data from the Polish Border Guard confirms that citizens of these countries have indeed attempted to enter Poland illegally through Lithuania.
For example, on June 9, the Border Guard reported the detention of 22 individuals, including migrants from Ethiopia. On June 11, authorities detained migrants from Ethiopia, Morocco, and Eritrea.
As of June 16, Polish officers had detained more than 540 people for illegally crossing the Polish–Lithuanian border.
Migratory pressure orchestrated from Minsk is now increasingly directed toward Latvia. According to data from the Latvian Border Guard, more than 5,000 people have been detained since the beginning of the year for illegally crossing the Latvian–Belarusian border. Many of those individuals subsequently make their way to Poland.