{"id":190712,"date":"2026-06-05T17:14:16","date_gmt":"2026-06-05T14:14:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/190712\/"},"modified":"2026-06-05T17:14:18","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T14:14:18","slug":"lithuanian-police-chief-says-no-contact-with-belarusian-law-enforcers-on-smuggling","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/190712\/","title":{"rendered":"Lithuanian police chief says no contact with Belarusian law enforcers on smuggling"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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June 5, Pozirk.<\/em><\/strong> Lithuanian police are not in contact with Belarusian law enforcement agencies regarding cigarette smuggling, Lithuanian Police Commissioner General Ar\u016bnas Paulauskas told LRT<\/em> yesterday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Border Guard Service has been in contact at the technical level,\u201d he noted. \u201cHowever, we are well aware that such smuggling would be impossible without the involvement and consent of the Belarusian border guards. It is impossible to be in the border zone of Belarus and spend the whole night inflating and launching balloons without coordinating with the border guards.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lithuania’s operation to combat smuggling is still ongoing, Paulauskas said, adding that it resulted in 75 arrests with 28 suspects currently in custody.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lithuanian authorities identified about a dozen criminal groups involved in smuggling by air, the official said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When asked whether the Belarusian groups were directing the Lithuanian smugglers or vice versa, Paulauskas rejected the idea of a clear hierarchy. \u201cIt was less a matter of leadership and more a matter of cooperation,\u201d he said. \u201cThat is exactly how I would describe the relationship between the Lithuanian and Belarusian smugglers.\u201d<\/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. These caused tensions between the two countries last fall. In early December, Vilnius declared a low-level emergency over incursions by smugglers\u2019 weather balloons that disrupted operations at the country\u2019s airports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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