Russians bringing West Africans into Finland illegally?
The suspected undocumented immigrants arrived in Finland on a new high-speed link between St Petersburg and Helsinki.
Image: YLE
A criminal gang based in Russia has been trying to bring West Africans into Finland illegally, the Finnish Border Guard said on Wednesday. It says that over the past year, the gang has arranged trips from the Ivory Coast to St Petersburg for more than 20 people.
Their final destinations were apparently either France or Italy.
Last September, the Border Guard of South Eastern Finland apprehended two Ivoirians who arrived on the Allegro train at the Vainikkala border crossing point in Lappeenranta. Their passports contained forged visas and Greek residence permits. A third Ivoirian immigrant was detained separately. They have since applied for asylum in Finland.
A Rwandan-born Russian citizen who arranged the trips was arrested a few days later on suspicion of aggravated arrangement of illegal immigration. He was detained when he tried to leave Finland
Those taken into custody are part of a larger group, says senior lieutenant Ville Mihl of the Border Guard's crime prevention unit, who is heading up the investigation.
"In the initial investigation we have identified 24 individuals from the Ivory Coast who have tried to reach Europe illegally through Russia," he says. The attempts were made between February and September of last year, involving six groups of West Africans.
Criminal proceedings will begin on 30 January at Southern Karelia District Court in Lappeenranta.
According to Frontex, the EU's agency for external border security, human smuggling and illegal immigration via Russia into the EU is on the rise.
YLE