Border police in the northeastern Italian city of Trieste have arrested five individuals of various nationalities during border control operations carried out between January 5 and February 3. Among those detained were two suspects wanted by authorities and three alleged human smugglers.
In recent weeks, Italian border police have intensified checks at the border with Slovenia, which is part of the so-called Balkan route—used by migrants traveling from Greece through the Balkans to Western Europe. One of these routes passes through Slovenia and northern Italy, leading either into France via the Alps or along the coast.
On January 20, a 36-year-old Polish citizen was arrested in the municipality of Muggia. According to police, he was waiting in a car with Polish license plates near a bus carrying a Turkish couple with a child who lacked the necessary documentation to enter Italy. The man was arrested on suspicion of facilitating illegal immigration.
On February 1, two more suspects were detained at the Basovizza border crossing (Trieste)—a 19-year-old Croatian citizen residing in Germany and a 17-year-old German citizen. They were transporting four Turkish nationals, aged between 20 and 47, in a German-registered vehicle. None of the passengers had the required documents to enter Italy.
On February 3, at the Fernetti border crossing, police arrested a 36-year-old Ukrainian citizen wanted for armed robbery. He was driving a vehicle with Ukrainian license plates. In January 2024, Ukrainian authorities issued a temporary arrest warrant requesting his extradition.
