{"id":195089,"date":"2026-07-09T16:43:20","date_gmt":"2026-07-09T13:43:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/195089\/"},"modified":"2026-07-09T16:43:22","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T13:43:22","slug":"lithuania-intercepts-drone-carrying-belarusian-cigarettes","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/195089\/","title":{"rendered":"Lithuania intercepts drone carrying Belarusian cigarettes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"block-image block-image-normal\">\n\n  <img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1128\" height=\"752\" src=\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/dron_sogg_litva_31_1128x752.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/dron_sogg_litva_31_1128x752.jpg 1128w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/dron_sogg_litva_31_1128x752-354x236.jpg 354w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/dron_sogg_litva_31_1128x752-734x490.jpg 734w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/dron_sogg_litva_31_1128x752-178x118.jpg 178w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/dron_sogg_litva_31_1128x752-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1128px) 100vw, 1128px\" \/>\n  <figcaption>\n  \n       <div class=\"block-image__author\">\n                <span>(Lithuanian State Border Guard Service)<\/span>\n    <\/div>\n     <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>July 9, <em>Pozirk.<\/em> <\/strong>Lithuanian border guards intercepted a drone carrying smuggled Belarusian-made cigarettes on the night of July 8 in the \u0160al\u010dininkai municipality around 500 meters from the shared border with Belarus, reported the Lithuanian State Border Guard Service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The drone was carrying 1000 packs of Queen Menthol cigarettes bearing Belarusian excise stamps, with an estimated value of more than \u20ac5,460, the agency said. Lithuanian authorities have launched an investigation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Lithuanian border guards have downed 31 drones carrying contraband cigarettes from Belarus since the start of 2026, the border service noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The agency said it intercepted 59 such drones in 2025 and 54 in 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On July 7, the Lithuanian State Border Guard Service reported that four drones carrying Belarusian cigarettes were intercepted for the first time in one place on the night of July 4.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The incident occurred in the Druskininkai municipality near the border with Belarus, with border guards seizing a total of 4,998 packs of cigarettes worth more than \u20ac27,500.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tensions between Belarus and Lithuania over cigarette-smuggling by air started rising last October, forcing Lithuanian authorities to close the border and suspend operations at Vilnius International Airport, located close to the Belarusian border, over incursion of smugglers\u2019 balloons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Vilnius declared an \u201cextreme situation,\u201d a low-level emergency, on December 9 in response to what it called \u201ca hybrid attack from Belarus.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"insert-block\">\n\n    <div class=\"insert-block__img\">\n        <img decoding=\"async\" width=\"354\" height=\"236\" src=\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/sigarety_shary_sogg-1-354x236.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/sigarety_shary_sogg-1-354x236.jpg 354w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/sigarety_shary_sogg-1-734x490.jpg 734w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/sigarety_shary_sogg-1-178x118.jpg 178w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/sigarety_shary_sogg-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/sigarety_shary_sogg-1.jpg 1128w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 354px) 100vw, 354px\" \/>                        <label class=\"insert-block__tag--mobile\"> Security<\/label>\n\n                            <label class=\"insert-block__tag--mobile\"> Society<\/label>\n\n                <\/div>\n    <div class=\"insert-block__text\">\n                    <label class=\"insert-block__tag\">Security, Society<\/label>\n                <h3 class=\"insert-block__title\">Lithuania triples funding offer for anti-balloon system to \u20ac3 million<\/h3>\n        <div class=\"insert-block__descr\">July 9, Pozirk. Lithuania has increased the amount it is willing to pay for the development of an anti-balloon system to \u20ac3 million from an initial offer of \u20ac1 million, according to the economy ministry. The country&#039;s State Border Guard &#8230;<\/div>\n        <a class=\"insert-block__btn-block\" href=\"\/en\/news\/195080\">\n            <button class=\"btn\">\n                <div class='btn__text'>Read<\/div>\n            <\/button>\n        <\/a>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>July 9, Pozirk. Lithuanian border guards intercepted a drone carrying smuggled Belarusian-made cigarettes on the night of July 8 in the \u0160al\u010dininkai municipality around 500 meters from the shared border with Belarus, reported the Lithuanian State Border Guard Service. The drone was carrying 1000 packs of Queen Menthol cigarettes bearing Belarusian excise stamps, with an [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":83,"featured_media":195044,"template":"","rubric":[21,15],"class_list":["post-195089","articles","type-articles","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","rubric-economy","rubric-society"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Lithuania intercepts drone carrying Belarusian cigarettes | Pozirk<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"July 9, Pozirk. 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