Polish Border Guard arrests illegal migrants and confiscates counterfeit cigarettes

On 27 June, officers of the Bieszczady Border Guard unit in Sanok stopped four Palestinian nationals—aged 14, 16, 22 and 25—who had hidden in a trailer and crossed the Poland‑Slovakia border near Wróblik Szlachecki, Krosno County. The adults were sentenced to six‑month suspended prison terms and three‑month detention in a foreigner centre, while the two minors were placed in a care institution. The Border Guard is processing their readmission to another EU member state.

In late June, Border Guard personnel from the Rzeszów‑Jasionka station uncovered a large cache of illicit tobacco and alcohol at a market in Stalowa Wola. They seized 453,200 untaxed cigarettes and 9 litres of spirit, valued at over 467 000 zł. Three Polish citizens linked to the operation were detained and face investigations for excise‑goods smuggling, which can result in fines or imprisonment.