Georgian people smuggler handed 8 year prison sentence
A Budapest court has handed down an 8-year prison term to a Georgian national for attempting to smuggle 35 foreigners to Austria, the Budapest chief prosecutor's office said on Wednesday. The non-binding ruling has also ordered his expulsion from Hungary for ten years.
Acting on orders as a member of an international crime ring, the man drove his van to the Hungarian-Serbian border in December 2022 to pick up 20 Syrian and 15 Moroccan nationals who entered Hungary illegally by scaling the metal barrier protecting the border. The migrants were packed into the vehicle which did not have proper ventilation.
Hungarian police started to chase the van travelling in the direction of Budapest on motorway M5, caused 11 traffic accidents as it was trying to escape, the court said in a statement.
At a preparatory hearing, the suspect pleaded guilty, the court said.
The defence has appealed against the decision.
