Last weekend, police officers from the Koper Police Directorate dealt with 212 illegal border crossings, police officers from the Novo mesto Police Directorate dealt with 122, and those from the Celje Police Directorate dealt with nine. A car carrying illegal migrants even caused an accident near Čeplje near Žalec. All of the people from the car fled the scene, and then a search operation was launched.
Slovenian police officers have had quite a busy weekend guarding Slovenian territory, as they had their hands full with illegal migrants. Illegal entry to the state does not seem to be decreasing, and migration-related crimes are on the rise.
The Novo mesto Police Directorate
While carrying out border guard duties between the 23rd and the 26th of September, police officers in the area of the Brežice Police Station (Loče, Slovenska vas, Dobova, Jesenice na Dolenjskem, Rigonce, Ribnica, Mihalovec, Velika Dolina) arrested 38 Indian nationals, 21 Pakistani nationals, 14 Turkish nationals, 13 Bangladeshi nationals, nine Burundian nationals, seven Cuban nationals, five Afghan, Iraqi and Congolese nationals, two Palestinian nationals, a Gambian national, a Syrian national and, in the area of the Črnomelj Police Station (Dragovanja vas), a Bangladeshi national. Police proceedings against foreigners who illegally crossed the national border are still pending.
The Maribor Police Directorate
On Sunday Morning, police officers stopped two vehicles (a car and a lorry with Italian and Slovenian licence plates) in the area of the Gorišnica Police Station, which had previously illegally crossed the state border. In the lorry, police officers found 22 illegal migrants, citizens of India and Bangladesh. All of them had applied for international protection. The police arrested and detained three suspects (passengers of the car and the lorry, both Italian nationals) on reasonable grounds of suspicion of committing the offence of illegal crossing of the border or territory of the country. They will be brought before an investigating judge on criminal charges. During the proceedings, it was also established that the driver of the car was driving without a valid driver’s licence.
On Friday night, 15 Burundian nationals and three Dominican nationals who had illegally crossed the national border were traced in Trlično during border controls. All of them had applied for international protection.
The Celje Police Directorate
On Saturday morning, police officers of the Celje Police Directorate were informed about a traffic accident in Čeplje, in the area of the Žalec Police Staton. The accident, which fortunately ended only with material damage, involved the driver of a car carrying illegal migrants, citizens of Bangladesh. After the accident, the illegal migrants and the driver left their vehicle, fled from the scene of the accident, and scattered in the surrounding area. With the help of citizens, who immediately became active in the search for illegal migrants and the driver, nine Bangladeshi nationals and the driver, a foreign national who caused the accident, were traced shortly after that. The driver has been detained and will be criminally charged, and all nine Bangladeshi nationals have applied for international protection. We would like to thank all the citizens who helped with information and searches to track down the illegal migrants.
Sara Kovač
