{"id":196764,"date":"2026-07-22T15:25:59","date_gmt":"2026-07-22T12:25:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/196764\/"},"modified":"2026-07-22T15:26:01","modified_gmt":"2026-07-22T12:26:01","slug":"two-lithuanians-arrested-over-alleged-involvement-in-smuggling-cigarettes-from-belarus","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/196764\/","title":{"rendered":"Two Lithuanians arrested over alleged involvement in smuggling cigarettes from Belarus"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>July 22, <em>Pozirk.<\/em> <\/strong>Two Lithuanian men have been detained for a month over alleged links to smugglers of Belarusian cigarettes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The men were apprehended on July 19 as they loaded smuggled cigarettes from a cache in the forest into a minivan in the \u0160ven\u010dion\u0117li\u0173 district several kilometers from the border with Belarus, the Lithuanian State Border Guard Service reported on July 22.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The suspects are residents of \u0160ven\u010dion\u0117liai and Vilnius. Border guards seized the minivan and two electric scooters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They may face a fine or a prison sentence of up to eight years, if convicted.<\/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<p>Lithuania intercepted 59 cigarette-smuggling drones in 2025 and 54 in 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Cigarettes cost the equivalent of about \u20ac1 per pack in Belarus and are significantly cheaper than legally sold cigarettes in Lithuania, where prices start at around \u20ac5. Smuggled NZ-brand cigarettes can be purchased in Vilnius for about \u20ac2 per pack.<\/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\/2026\/07\/perevozka_sigaret_sogg_1128x752-354x236.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/perevozka_sigaret_sogg_1128x752-354x236.jpg 354w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/perevozka_sigaret_sogg_1128x752-734x490.jpg 734w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/perevozka_sigaret_sogg_1128x752-178x118.jpg 178w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/perevozka_sigaret_sogg_1128x752-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/perevozka_sigaret_sogg_1128x752.jpg 1128w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 354px) 100vw, 354px\" \/>                        <label class=\"insert-block__tag--mobile\"> Economy<\/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\">Economy, Society<\/label>\n                <h3 class=\"insert-block__title\">Lithuanian border guards arrest two men carrying nearly 6,000 Belarusian-smuggled cigarettes<\/h3>\n        <div class=\"insert-block__descr\">July 21, Pozirk. Lithuanian border guards have arrested two residents of Vilnius who were transporting 5,999 packs of Belarusian-made cigarettes smuggled into Lithuania by air, the Lithuanian State Border Guard Service reported. According to the agency, a Volkswagen Crafter containing &#8230;<\/div>\n        <a class=\"insert-block__btn-block\" href=\"\/en\/news\/196619\">\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 22, Pozirk. Two Lithuanian men have been detained for a month over alleged links to smugglers of Belarusian cigarettes. The men were apprehended on July 19 as they loaded smuggled cigarettes from a cache in the forest into a minivan in the \u0160ven\u010dion\u0117li\u0173 district several kilometers from the border with Belarus, the Lithuanian State [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":83,"featured_media":63993,"template":"","rubric":[21,15],"class_list":["post-196764","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>Two Lithuanians arrested over alleged involvement in smuggling cigarettes from Belarus | Pozirk<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"July 22, Pozirk. Two Lithuanian men have been detained for a month over alleged links to smugglers of Belarusian cigarettes. 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