On November 6, 2020, an attempted murder of a State Border Guard officer was committed in Daugavpils. On the same day, criminal proceedings were initiated at the Department for Combating Serious and Serial Crimes of the Criminal Police Bureau of the Latgale Regional Administration of the State Police.
During the investigation, it was established that the crime had the characteristics of a contract and an internationally organized group. It was established that an internationally organized group of Latvian, Lithuanian, and Ukrainian citizens was involved in the crime.
While conducting investigations both in Latvia and in Ukraine, all involved law enforcement bodies obtained information on several members of the organized group, including a Latvian citizen.
On August 1, 2023, the Latvian national, born in 1990, was arrested and remanded in custody. The man has previously been caught by the police for illegal circulation of alcoholic beverages and tobacco products, as well as for possession, movement, transfer, or sale of goods or other valuables subject to customs clearance in the customs territory of the Republic of Latvia without the authorization of the customs authorities if committed on a large scale.
In parallel, three persons - men born in 1998, 1983, and 1988 - have been identified and detained as suspects in the territory of Ukraine.
On May 13 this year, after consolidating the evidence and actively cooperating with the Ukrainian law enforcement authorities, the criminal proceedings against the Latvian citizen were separated into a separate criminal case and sent to the Latgale Court District Prosecutor's Office for prosecution.
The criminal proceedings were initiated under Article 118(1) and (5) of the Criminal Code, i.e. for murder under particularly aggravating circumstances because the victim or his relative was performing his official or professional duties, as well as when committed by an organized group.
Such a crime is punishable by life imprisonment or imprisonment for a term of between fifteen and twenty years and probation supervision for a term of up to three years, with or without confiscation of property.
Criminal proceedings have also been initiated under Article 253(2) of the Criminal Law - for the illicit manufacture, acquisition, possession, transport and transfer of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, if committed by a group of persons by prior agreement or if committed with narcotic drugs or psychotropic substances in large quantities.
Criminal proceedings have also been initiated under the second part of Article 237.1 of the Criminal Law, i.e. for violation of the prohibition of circulation of equipment, devices or instruments and their components or software specially designed or adapted for the purpose of carrying out operational measures in a special manner or for their obstruction.
The investigation is continuing in the criminal proceedings initially initiated and the other members of the organized group, their roles, and links to the offense under investigation, as well as the person who ordered the murder, are being clarified.
