Event 826

{
  "border_violation_countries": [
    "LV"
  ],
  "category": "Border",
  "confidence": "Low",
  "confidence_rationale": "Event confirmed by Latvian State Border Guard; article contains direct quotes and imagery, including a clear date and officials' statements.",
  "countries": [
    "Latvia",
    "Belarus"
  ],
  "country": "Latvia",
  "defense_prep": {},
  "description": "Latvian Border Guard intercepted a van disguising itself as a public transport minibus from Daugavpils to illegally transport migrants across the Latvia-Belarus border. The vehicle, equipped with fake plates and emblems, attempted to mimic official public transit and was abandoned following a police chase.",
  "event_time_utc": "2025-04-10T12:00:00Z",
  "evidence": [
    "State Border Guard report of a fake public transport minibus used to smuggle migrants from the Belarus border, as cited in LSM.lv article with direct official statements and supporting photographs.",
    "Vehicle equipped with imitation license plates and logos, abandoned in Svariņi parish, Daugavpils area after pursuit by authorities.",
    "Criminal proceedings initiated against the detained Ukrainian driver; detection of a Somali national illegally crossing at the same time.",
    "Official context of hybrid smuggling tactics previously involving fake emergency services vehicles."
  ],
  "evidence_quotes": [
    "Having previously created fake border guard vehicles, fake police vans and even fake firewood delivery trucks to transport illegal border crossers into the European Union from Belarus, people smugglers have now been caught using a minibus pretending to be a public transport vehicle from Latvia's second-largest city, Daugavpils.",
    "On the evening of April 10, after a chase in Svariņi parish, a person transporting people who had illegally crossed the state border was detained in a fake 'Daugavpils autobus' park (Daugavpils auto park, DAP) minibus.",
    "The vehicle had fake plates and side emblems along with the DAP logo, making it look at a glance just like a real public transport vehicle, the State Border Guard said.",
    "The driver of the vehicle did not react to the request to stop, so the border guard had to produce documents and left the scene in a hurry.",
    "After a chase of approximately 10 minutes, the man abandoned the vehicle in the village of Svariņi and tried to flee, but without success.",
    "Almost at the same time, a second person, a Somali citizen who had illegally crossed the Latvian-Belarusian border was detected.",
    "Criminal proceedings were initiated against the driver, a Ukrainian citizen, for attempting to provide illegal immigrants with an opportunity to stay illegally in the Republic of Latvia.",
    "According to the information available to the State Border Guard, a group of two or more persons planning to cross the state border illegally had gathered on the Belarusian side, and the minibus had been specially prepared for the movement of these persons."
  ],
  "extra": {
    "category_raw": "Border Violation / Smuggling",
    "extra": {
      "extra": {
        "extra": {
          "evidence": [
            "State Border Guard report of a fake public transport minibus used to smuggle migrants from the Belarus border, as cited in LSM.lv article with direct official statements and supporting photographs.",
            "Vehicle equipped with imitation license plates and logos, abandoned in Svariņi parish, Daugavpils area after pursuit by authorities.",
            "Criminal proceedings initiated against the detained Ukrainian driver; detection of a Somali national illegally crossing at the same time.",
            "Official context of hybrid smuggling tactics previously involving fake emergency services vehicles."
          ]
        }
      }
    }
  },
  "follow_up_by_country": [
    {
      "country": "Latvia",
      "notes": "Criminal proceedings launched against the Ukrainian driver; border surveillance and legal review ongoing.",
      "status": "Investigation"
    }
  ],
  "headline": "Smuggler van caught masked as Daugavpils public transport minibus",
  "location_text": "Svariņi parish, Daugavpils area, Latvia-Belarus border",
  "media_assets": [
    {
      "description": "Screenshot capture",
      "type": "screenshot",
      "url": "/media/event_826_1763939799_aa32d402.jpg"
    }
  ],
  "notes": "Fake transport vehicle used for human smuggling intercepted near ??Daugavpils, Latvia. Fake bus used to transport border-crossers; vehicle had fake license plates and was intercepted after a chase.",
  "schema_version": "v1",
  "screenshot_count": 1,
  "sources": [
    "https://eng.lsm.lv/article/society/crime/11.04.2025-smuggler-van-caught-masked-as-daugavpils-public-transport-minibus.a595158/"
  ],
  "url": "https://eng.lsm.lv/article/society/crime/11.04.2025-smuggler-van-caught-masked-as-daugavpils-public-transport-minibus.a595158/"
}

{
  "5th Column of Russians Inside (which countries)": "",
  "Attack Type": "Border Violation / Smuggling",
  "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": "10-Apr-25",
  "Defense Prep Event (FI-EE-LV-LT-PL)": "",
  "Defense Prep Event (FI-EE-LV-LT-PL) REF LINK": "",
  "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": "Fake transport vehicle used for human smuggling intercepted near ??Daugavpils, Latvia. Fake bus used to transport border-crossers; vehicle had fake license plates and was intercepted after a chase.",
  "Political Disruptions w/ Laws to Favor Kremlin (which countries)": "",
  "Russian-Belarus Terrorist Event (FI-EE-LV-LT-PL)": "Smuggler van disguised as public minibus in ?? Daugavpils caught.",
  "Russian-Belarus Terrorist Event (FI-EE-LV-LT-PL) REF LINK": "https://eng.lsm.lv/article/society/crime/11.04.2025-smuggler-van-caught-masked-as-daugavpils-public-transport-minibus.a595158/",
  "Screen Snapshot": "",
  "Screen Snapshots": "",
  "Type Dropdown": "",
  "Where?\n(Air, Land, Sea)": ""
}