Border Gurad says East African smuggling network used Finland as transit route
The group allegedly arranged the movement of third-country nationals from Belarus into Finland.
The Finnish Border Guard has reported on a suspected migrant smuggling operation that utilized Finland as a transit route to other European Union countries. The alleged criminal network, which originated from East Africa, transported over 40 individuals from Belarus into Finland between December 2025 and April 2026. Most of these migrants had already sought asylum in Latvia prior to their move to Finland, either through air travel from Latvia or, later, by sea via Estonia.
While authorities managed to intercept some of the smuggling attempts, several migrants who reached Finland proceeded to other EU member states. Initially, the smugglers moved the migrants via Air Baltic flights from Riga Airport to Finland. However, in January 2026, the criminal network shifted its tactics, adopting an overland route for the migrants, which involved traveling by train from Latvia to Tallinn and then continuing by ferry to Helsinki.
During the investigation, one suspect was detained pending trial. The case has now been handed over to prosecutors for potential legal action.
Written by urgent.news from Yle News Finland's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
