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The stowaways were found when British border police searched a Latvian-registered truck in the French port town of Dunkirk. kevinzim via Flickr
Immigration
19 stowaways found in French search on Dublin-bound lorry
UK border police say they found the group of Iranians and Vietnamese during a search on a Latvian truck on Friday.
BRITISH BORDER POLICE have said they discovered 19 stowaways on a truck bound for Dublin during a search on Friday.
The 12 Iranians and 7 Vietnamese were found on a truck registered in Latvian.
PA reports that the driver of the truck, a Latvian national, was handed over for questioning to the French border police after the search in the port town of Dunkirk in the early hours of Friday morning.
The 19 people included 17 men and two women.
The group was taken into the care of the French border police while the truck was allowed to continue on its journey.
A UK Border Force spokesperson said its presence in French ports like Dunkirk and Calais helped to protect the whole of the UK from illegal immigrants.
Ireland and the UK observe a joint common travel area with no border controls, meaning that any person who has gained access to either country would, in theory, be able to travel to the other without observation.
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