Belarusian border guards have detained four Russian nationals suspected of attempting to smuggle migrants from South Asia to the European Union via Belarus and Russia.
The State Border Guard Committee of Belarus in its April 1 statement said that along with the Russian suspects, two citizens of India and eight Sri Lankans were also detained.
According to the statement, Belarusian border guards and officers of Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) in the Smolensk region managed to "disrupt activities of a criminal group involved in organizing illegal migration."
It said Belarusian border guards stopped a vehicle on the night on March 27 and found two Russian citizens and 10 illegal migrants heading to Lithuania, an EU country that borders Belarus. The other Russian suspects were detained later.
The four Russian men could face up to seven years in prison if convicted of organizing illegal migration.
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