February 5, Pozirk. Polish authorities have charged five men with running a criminal ring to smuggle cigarettes from Belarus by air balloons, said the press office to the Polish Border Guard.
A court has ruled to hold the suspects in custody for three months. The charges – membership of a criminal ring, cigarette smuggling, air traffic violations and breaking the law on sanctions to counter support for the war of aggression in Ukraine – carry from nine months to 12 years in prison.
Poland’s army reported overflights by weather balloons from Belarus on February 4, 1 and 2 and January 31 and 28.
On January 22, the Polish foreign ministry summoned a Belarusian diplomat to demand explanations in connection with an incursion by 150 balloons – most or all carrying smuggled cigarettes – on January 17.
About 1,750,000 cigarettes smuggled into the Polish territory from Belarus using balloons were detected in Poland in January, reported the Polish Border Guard.
The seized cigarettes are estimated at around 1,780,000 zlotys, or around $497,000.
