October 7, Pozirk. Lithuanian officials are considering a reduction in the amount of cigarettes that can be legally possessed before it becomes subject to criminal prosecution for illegal storage. This move comes amid frequent airspace violations involving cigarette-smuggling balloons from Belarus, Delfi reported.
Under current legislation, possession of 1,500 or more packs of black-market cigarettes constitutes a crime. However, smugglers and sellers often store slightly fewer packs to avoid triggering criminal charges.
Since the start of 2025, police have made 96 arrests related to attempts to collect cigarettes smuggled from Belarus by air, but only 34 individuals have been formally charged.
Lithuania’s Interior Minister Vladislav Kondratovič and Rustamas Liubajevas, of the Lithuanian State Border Guard Service, have expressed support for the proposed crackdown on cigarette storage. They emphasize that it will assist law enforcement in dismantling smuggling networks.
Lithuania is currently investigating 20 separate cases of cigarette smuggling from Belarus via weather balloons. These cases are being consolidated into a major investigation, expected to result in charges of organized crime.
According to Liubajevas, approximately 80 percent of black-market cigarettes entering Lithuania come via balloons. This year alone, authorities have intercepted more than 500 such air shipments.
Over the weekend, 25 cigarette-smuggling weather balloons were flown into Lithuania from Belarus, causing significant disruptions at Vilnius Airport.
