Czech police say they have broken up a criminal network that was producing and distributing forged Lithuanian documents for migrants to gain access to the European Union.
Pavel Hantak, spokesman for the Czech organized crime squad, said on May 31 that 10 suspects from former Soviet republics were arrested across the Czech Republic. Five of them were from Ukraine, but he didn't specify the nationality of the others.
The suspects were charged with forgery and facilitating illegal sojourn in the Czech Republic. They face up to 10 years in prison.
Hantak said the forged documents -- passports, IDs, and driving licenses -- were transported by the group from Lithuania, where they were produced, to the Czech Republic and other EU countries.
Hantak said seven migrants using such forged documents were arrested in the Czech Republic. He didn't give details about the migrants, saying only that they didn't qualify to stay in the EU.
