Event 785

{
  "border_violation_countries": [
    "LV"
  ],
  "category": "Uncategorized",
  "confidence": "Low",
  "confidence_rationale": "Drawn directly from quotes by customs and tax authorities as reported by Latvian Public Media and confirmed in the article screenshot.",
  "country": "Latvia",
  "defense_prep": {
    "links": [
      "https://eng.lsm.lv/article/society/crime/06.03.2025-latvian-customs-service-raises-capability-concerns.a590437/"
    ],
    "title": "Smuggling concerns at ??Latvian customs"
  },
  "description": "Latvia's Customs Administration officials are concerned about inadequate capacity to quickly and frequently respond to border smuggling, amid rising geopolitical risks and increased smuggling activity, particularly on the Belarus and Russian borders.",
  "event_time_utc": "2025-03-08T12:00:00Z",
  "evidence": [
    "Article text and screenshot reporting official Latvian customs concerns about border response capacity, smuggling from Belarus and Russia, and lack of personnel.",
    "Specific reference to the Indra checkpoint and shortage of customs staff.",
    "Quotes by Sandra Karļika-Jakimova, Deputy Director of the Customs Administration, and Boris Bikovskis, senior expert at the Cynology Department."
  ],
  "evidence_quotes": [
    "Officials are concerned that they might not be able to respond quickly and frequently enough to smuggling",
    "\"The increasing volumes of smuggling and the geopolitical situation raise doubts about the ability to further develop efficiency and operational capacity of Latvia's customs checkpoints...\"",
    "Most often smuggled by rail from Belarus and are mostly detected at the Indra checkpoint on the border.",
    "There is also an acute shortage of human resources in customs.",
    "A lot of emphasis at the border is placed on trained dogs, with 40% specializing in tobacco products, but smugglers take that into account."
  ],
  "extra": {
    "extra": {
      "extra": {
        "extra": {
          "evidence": [
            "Article text and screenshot reporting official Latvian customs concerns about border response capacity, smuggling from Belarus and Russia, and lack of personnel.",
            "Specific reference to the Indra checkpoint and shortage of customs staff.",
            "Quotes by Sandra Karļika-Jakimova, Deputy Director of the Customs Administration, and Boris Bikovskis, senior expert at the Cynology Department."
          ]
        }
      }
    }
  },
  "follow_up_by_country": [],
  "headline": "Latvian customs service raises capability concerns",
  "location_text": "Latvia-Belarus border, Indra checkpoint, Latgale region",
  "media_assets": [
    {
      "description": "Screenshot capture",
      "type": "screenshot",
      "url": "/media/event_785_1763938331_0a0d3a43.jpg"
    }
  ],
  "notes": "??Latvian border customs: Lack of staffing and advanced smuggling tactics observed at key border areas.",
  "schema_version": "v1",
  "screenshot_count": 1,
  "sources": [
    "https://eng.lsm.lv/article/society/crime/06.03.2025-latvian-customs-service-raises-capability-concerns.a590437/"
  ],
  "summary_short": "Latvian customs warn of insufficient capacity to tackle border smuggling, highlighting risks at key checkpoints and hr shortages.",
  "url": "https://eng.lsm.lv/article/society/crime/06.03.2025-latvian-customs-service-raises-capability-concerns.a590437/"
}

{
  "5th Column of Russians Inside (which countries)": "",
  "Attack Type": "",
  "Borders Including Sea, Air,  Violation or Sabotage (which countries)": "LV",
  "Continuous? (e.g. Jammers)": "",
  "Country (FI;EE;LV;LT;PL;BSR;Air)\nSeparated by Semicolon": "LV",
  "Date": "8-Mar-25",
  "Defense Prep Event (FI-EE-LV-LT-PL)": "Smuggling concerns at ??Latvian customs",
  "Defense Prep Event (FI-EE-LV-LT-PL) REF LINK": "https://eng.lsm.lv/article/society/crime/06.03.2025-latvian-customs-service-raises-capability-concerns.a590437/",
  "Follow-Up Link?  (FI,EE,LV,LT,PL, BSR, Air)": "",
  "Follow-Up NOTES": "",
  "Follow-Up incl. Investigation, Prosecution?  (FI,EE,LV,LT,PL, BSR, Air)": "",
  "Latitude, Longitude (WGS84, Decimal Degrees)": "",
  "NOTES": "??Latvian border customs: Lack of staffing and advanced smuggling tactics observed at key border areas.",
  "Political Disruptions w/ Laws to Favor Kremlin (which countries)": "",
  "Russian-Belarus Terrorist Event (FI-EE-LV-LT-PL)": "",
  "Russian-Belarus Terrorist Event (FI-EE-LV-LT-PL) REF LINK": "",
  "Screen Snapshot": "",
  "Screen Snapshots": "",
  "Type Dropdown": "",
  "Where?\n(Air, Land, Sea)": ""
}