Polish Border Guards thwarted multiple attempts to smuggle migrants from Syria, detaining 140 individuals in a single day.
In a single day, Polish Border Guards intercepted four smugglers and foiled a major attempt to smuggle 140 foreigners. On September 27th, officers from the Border Guard Station in Bielsko-Biała, near the former border crossing in Zwardoń, stopped a bus carrying 24 foreigners, including three women and seven minors. All had documents indicating Syrian citizenship and legal residence in Slovakia. The Syrian driver, holding a German residence permit, attempted to transport them to Germany. They were all detained and taken into Border Guard custody.
In another checkpoint near Zwardoń, officers uncovered and detained a group of 42 migrants, including five women and 12 minors, in a bus driven by a Syrian with an Austrian residence permit.
Early the next morning, a group of 43 male migrants with similar documents was discovered in Niemodlin by the Transport Inspection officers. They were being transported by a Polish citizen. All were found to be residing illegally in Poland. They too were handed over to the Border Guard.
An additional 31 foreigners were handed over to the Border Guard by customs officials and the Police in Bielsko-Biała, all transported by a Syrian with a German residence permit. These incidents highlight Poland’s ongoing efforts to combat migrant smuggling.