Truck of Wheat Hid 99 Migrants, Driver Arrested
Slovenian police stopped a truck with Serbian plates loaded with wheat near Obrezje. Inside were 99 foreign nationals, and the driver, a 37 year old Serbian citizen, was arrested.
A migrant smuggling case was uncovered on August 13 in the Obrezje border area of Slovenia. The Novo Mesto Police Directorate arrested a 37 year old Serbian citizen on suspicion of transporting 99 foreign nationals in a truck loaded with wheat. The vehicle carried Serbian plates and was seized.
The tip did not come from a patrol but from a passerby. Around 7 a.m., a member of the public alerted police that he had seen a large group of people climbing out of a cargo truck in the Drnovo area. According to that witness, the driver then continued on his way. Police found the vehicle a short time later near Obrezje and stopped it.
Who was inside the truck
In the cargo hold and the surrounding area of Drnovo, police found 99 people. Among them were 69 Bangladeshi nationals, 28 Pakistani nationals, one Ghanaian national and one Nepali national. According to the police statement, all of them expressed an intention to apply for international protection during the process.
The number is unusual even for a route that has carried heavy pressure for years. It is the largest group found in a single vehicle in Slovenia this season.
The driver is charged with the criminal offense of illegal crossing of the state border or territory. Until a final verdict, he remains a suspect, and the claims about his role are still being verified. After the criminal complaint is filed, he will be brought before an investigating judge.
A second vehicle the same day
A few hours later, police received another tip from the public. This time the report concerned the driving of a van in the Jesenice area. The vehicle was stopped at Drnovo, and behind the wheel was a 27 year old Slovak citizen.
The van held 27 foreign nationals: 25 Egyptian nationals, one Turkish national and one Russian national. According to police, proceedings involving them are still ongoing.
Slovenian police outlined in their statement what comes next for both drivers:
They have been arrested and their vehicles seized. Police will report them on suspicion of illegal crossing of the border or territory of the state.
Both vehicles were confiscated, and both drivers were detained. In two separate cases, on the same day and in the same narrow area, a total of 126 people were discovered.
Why the public tip was decisive
Neither case was uncovered at a checkpoint. In both instances, police went out to the field only after someone called them. The Novo Mesto Police Directorate thanked the citizens who reported what they had seen, saying that this kind of cooperation helped the proceedings move forward.
It is also a practical illustration of how these transports get caught. A tarped truck with a legal looking load does not stand out in traffic. Wheat is a common cargo on that route, the paperwork is typically in order, and the vehicle passes like any other until a concrete reason to stop it appears.
What happens to the people who were found
The people found in the truck are not treated as suspects in a criminal offense. They are processed as foreign nationals who entered the country illegally and who have expressed an intention to apply for international protection. That application is handled separately, through administrative proceedings, apart from the criminal case against the driver.
In cases like this, migrant smuggling is prosecuted against the organizers and the transporters, not against the people who were transported. Who organized the loading and who paid for the transport remains an open question, one that is part of the investigation police have not yet made public.
