In a recent ruling, a court in Budapest has sentenced two people smugglers, who are residents of Belgium, to ten years of imprisonment each. The smugglers were found guilty of transporting dozens of illegal migrants in a truck without proper ventilation.
As reported by AboutHungary, a website managed by the Hungarian Prime Minister’s international communication office, once they have completed their prison terms, the prisoners will also face a ten-year ban from entering Hungary.
The court’s statement also revealed that the defendants had attempted to transport 38 Turkish, Indian, and Syrian nationals from the Hungary-Serbia border to Austria in April of the previous year.
After stopping and inspecting the truck on motorway M5 in central Hungary, the police discovered one of the passengers unconscious. The police immediately provided first aid to the individual and arranged for their transportation to a hospital for further medical attention.
According to the court, if the door of the truck had not been opened for another half an hour, the unconscious passenger found inside would have died.
“If the door of the truck had not been opened for another half an hour, the passenger would have died,” the court said.
The same authority emphasised that the delay in opening the door put a passenger’s life at risk and endangered the lives of the other 38 passengers at risk of asphyxiation.
Previously, Security Chief György Bakondi revealed that Hungary has successfully stopped over 49,000 individuals attempting to cross its borders irregularly this year. In addition, 387 people smugglers have also been apprehended by Hungarian authorities.
He also pointed out that about 12 per cent of prisoners in Hungary, totalling 2,048 individuals from 73 different countries, are imprisoned for human smuggling offences.
The number has been even higher until recently when Hungary released numerous imprisoned people smugglers in an attempt to avoid hefty fines imposed by the European Union for prison overcrowding.
In April of this year, Hungarian authorities reported a 26 per cent decrease in the number of irregular immigrants using the Balkan route during the period of January to March 2023 compared to the previous year. It also noted that this decrease was attributed to the strengthened protection measures implemented at the Hungarian borders.
Due to recent irregular entries on the border with Serbia, Hungary has decided to expand the fence along its border with Serbia.
As a result, Deputy State Secretary for EU Affairs, Bence Rétvári, announced that a ten-kilometre section had been added to the 165-kilometre fence in the Hercegszanto zone. This extension aims to protect a previously less-frequented marshy area that experienced increased irregular entries last summer when smugglers discovered this alternative route.
