12 thousand packs of Belarusian cigarettes did not reach the addressee in Lithuania Discovery of a total of 12 thousand packs of NZ Gold cigarettes with Blue Belarus stamps, delivered from Belarus on balloons, was reported by the State Border Guard Service (SBGS) under the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Lithuania. It should be noted that on the evening of October 24, near the village of Gardesai, Druskininky self-government, SOGG workers noticed balloons attached with bundles attached. The border guard followed them to the village of Yosefčchan in the Lazdi region, where the cargo landed in the forest. During the search, the border guards stopped a Subaru Legacy vehicle with German registration numbers for inspection. The driver was a 35-year-old Lithuanian citizen, and two of his compatriots, aged 38 and 28, were traveling in the car. A navigation app with entered coordinates was found on the phone of one of the men. After reaching the swampy area along them, the border police found several packages with 6,000 packs of cigarettes, as well as plastic pipes and remnants of balloons. The next day, October 25, in a forest near the village of Selvantai in the Lezdzia region, 22 km from the first detection site, with the help of a service dog, the border guards found another 6,000 packs of NZ Gold cigarettes. GPS transmitters were attached to the packages, with the help of which the smugglers could track the location of the cargo. The cost of all the cigarettes discovered, including taxes to be paid in Lithuania, exceeds 66 thousand euros. On suspicion of illegal dumping of excise goods, the border guards arrested the three mentioned Lithuanian citizens. On October 26, after investigations, they were released with the obligation not to leave their place of residence, periodic registration with the police and confiscation of documents. A pre-trial investigation has been opened. SOGG reports that such a crime is punishable by a fine or imprisonment of up to six years. Blanobosti on X / Instagram.

12 thousand packs of Belarusian cigarettes did not reach the addressee in Lithuania Discovery of a total of 12 thousand packs of NZ Gold cigarettes with Blue Belarus stamps, delivered from Belarus on balloons, was reported by the State Border Guard Service (SBGS) under the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Lithuania. It should be noted that on the evening of October 24, near the village of Gardesai, Druskininky self-government, SOGG workers noticed balloons attached with bundles attached. The border guard followed them to the village of Yosefčchan in the Lazdi region, where the cargo landed in the forest. During the search, the border guards stopped a Subaru Legacy vehicle with German registration numbers for inspection. The driver was a 35-year-old Lithuanian citizen, and two of his compatriots, aged 38 and 28, were traveling in the car. A navigation app with entered coordinates was found on the phone of one of the men. After reaching the swampy area along them, the border police found several packages with 6,000 packs of cigarettes, as well as plastic pipes and remnants of balloons. The next day, October 25, in a forest near the village of Selvantai in the Lezdzia region, 22 km from the first detection site, with the help of a service dog, the border guards found another 6,000 packs of NZ Gold cigarettes. GPS transmitters were attached to the packages, with the help of which the smugglers could track the location of the cargo. The cost of all the cigarettes discovered, including taxes to be paid in Lithuania, exceeds 66 thousand euros. On suspicion of illegal dumping of excise goods, the border guards arrested the three mentioned Lithuanian citizens. On October 26, after investigations, they were released with the obligation not to leave their place of residence, periodic registration with the police and confiscation of documents. A pre-trial investigation has been opened. SOGG reports that such a crime is punishable by a fine or imprisonment of up to six years. Blanobosti on X / Instagram.