Alleged migrant smuggler busted after dramatic car chase
Maribor, 12 April - Following a cross-border car chase, the police arrested on Saturday a Moldovan citizen transporting six Egyptian minors in his vehicle. The suspect entered Slovenia illegally from Croatia.
Maribor
The police arresting a Moldovan citizen allegedly smuggling six Egyptian migrants after a car chase.
Photo: Maribor Police Department
Maribor
The police arresting a Moldovan citizen allegedly smuggling six Egyptian migrants after a car chase.
Photo: Maribor Police Department
Upon failing to catch the 24-year-old, driving an Audi car with Hungarian licence plates, the Croatian authorities notified their Slovenian colleagues of the situation.
The police immediately started erecting roadblocks near Ptuj in north-eastern Slovenia, however the driver ignored their signals and even stepped on the gas.
He recklessly drove first towards Maribor and then headed towards Ljubljana, picking up speed that occasionally reached 200 km/h and even trying to evade the police by ghost driving.
When it was clear that the car chase was over, he tried to escape on foot but was caught by police officers in Slivnica, reported the Maribor Police Department on Sunday.
The apprehended Egyptian citizens, all minors, are to be handed over to the Croatian authorities.
The suspect has been detained by the police and is facing criminal charges. He could face up to eight years in prison for putting in danger the lives of his six fellow passengers as well as other traffic participants.