{"id":171049,"date":"2026-01-09T15:06:38","date_gmt":"2026-01-09T12:06:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/171049\/"},"modified":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","slug":"contraband-cigarette-seizures-in-lithuania-tripled-in-2025-border-guards","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/171049\/","title":{"rendered":"Contraband cigarette seizures in Lithuania tripled in 2025 \u2013 border guards"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n\n \"\"\n
\n \n
\n (Lithuanian State Border Guards Service)<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

January 9, Pozirk<\/em><\/strong>. In 2025, Lithuanian border guards detected 917 cases of smuggling and illegal transportation of goods, 911 of which involved cigarettes, up from 637 incidents in 2024, the Lithuanian State Border Guard Service reports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cigarette seizures surged to 4,440,576 packs in 2025 from 1,386,714 packs the previous year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The most popular brand among smugglers was Minsk, accounting for 37 percent of all seized cigarettes, followed by the Belarusian NZ brand at 26 percent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Half of all smuggled cigarettes entering Lithuania came from Latvia, with the other half originating from Belarus. This marks a new trend, as most contraband products were previously imported through the Belarusian border.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Strengthened border protections along the Lithuanian-Belarusian border have made land-based smuggling more difficult, forcing smugglers to use weather balloons, border guards noted. More than 1.6 million packs of cigarettes seized last year were delivered by air.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last year, Lithuania intercepted 635 balloons and 59 drones used to smuggle cigarettes from Belarus into Lithuania, according to the State Border Guard Service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Balloons have been a source of tensions between Lithuania and Belarus, prompting Vilnius to close the border for three weeks last fall and suspend operations at Vilnius International Airport on several occasions. In early December, Vilnius declared an \u201cextreme situation,\u201d a low-level emergency, in response to what it called \u201ca hybrid attack from Belarus.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cigarettes cost an equivalent of around \u20ac1 at stores in Belarus and are significantly cheaper than legally sold cigarettes in Latvia and Lithuania, where prices start at around \u20ac5. Smuggled NZ cigarettes can be bought at \u20ac2 per pack in Vilnius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n
\n \"\"