{"id":184326,"date":"2026-04-20T20:00:44","date_gmt":"2026-04-20T17:00:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/184326\/"},"modified":"2026-04-20T20:00:46","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T17:00:46","slug":"warsaw-arrests-two-belarusians-over-drone-cigarette-smuggling","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/184326\/","title":{"rendered":"Warsaw arrests two Belarusians over drone cigarette smuggling \u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n (strazgraniczna.pl)<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

April 20, Pozirk<\/em>.<\/strong> Polish authorities placed two Belarusians and one Pole in three months’ custody on suspicion of using drones to smuggle cigarettes, the Polish Border Guard reports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The men were arrested five days ago near the Belarusian border in Poland\u2019s Podlaskie voivodeship, where they allegedly came to pick up the contraband cargo worth $26,400. They may face up to three years in prison if convicted. Both arrested Belarusians have permanent residence permits in Poland, which may be revoked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Earlier this month, a Belarusian suspected of smuggling cigarettes by weather balloons was arrested in the same area. In late March, Polish border guards dismantled a cigarette-smuggling ring, arresting 10 Belarusians among a total of 12 suspects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Authorities in Poland\u2019s Podlaskie voivodeship have seized Belarusian cigarettes smuggled by air worth more than $1.2 million since the start of the year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Balloons carrying smuggled cigarettes from Belarus have been a source of tensions between the two countries. In January, the Polish foreign ministry summoned a Belarusian diplomat to protest an incursion by more than 150 balloons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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