RIGA, June 26 (LETA) - On Friday, a smuggler of illegal migrants was detained in the Kraslava Municipality; he was using a vehicle with a counterfeit Latvian Army license plate, the State Border Guard told LETA.

The offender used a minibus with a forged license plate matching that of a genuine Latvian Army vehicle to carry out his criminal activities.

Border guards in Skaista County spotted a Volkswagen minibus on the road, driven by an Estonian citizen, with another Estonian citizen sitting next to him. Upon inspecting the minibus, eleven individuals were found inside without valid travel documents, visas, or residence permits, all of whom had previously crossed the Belarus-Latvia border illegally.

It was also determined that the vehicle's license plate was counterfeit and matched that of a genuine Latvian military vehicle.

Criminal proceedings will be initiated against the Estonian citizens, while the eleven individuals were prevented from illegally crossing the state border.

The State Border Guard has initiated 89 criminal proceedings this year regarding the illegal transportation of persons and/or facilitating their illegal stay in Latvia, of which 26 were divided from previously initiated criminal proceedings, involving 77 individuals.