{"id":197182,"date":"2026-07-24T19:57:27","date_gmt":"2026-07-24T16:57:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/197182\/"},"modified":"2026-07-24T19:57:28","modified_gmt":"2026-07-24T16:57:28","slug":"five-lithuanians-facing-prison-over-belarusian-smuggled-cigarettes","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/197182\/","title":{"rendered":"Five Lithuanians facing prison over Belarusian-smuggled 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\/20260724-cig-Pageg-pix.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/20260724-cig-Pageg-pix.jpg 1128w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/20260724-cig-Pageg-pix-354x236.jpg 354w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/20260724-cig-Pageg-pix-734x490.jpg 734w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/20260724-cig-Pageg-pix-178x118.jpg 178w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/20260724-cig-Pageg-pix-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 24, Pozirk.&nbsp;<\/strong>Five residents of Vilnius are expected to stand trial on smuggling charges after Belarusian-made cigarettes to a total value of \u20ac282,000 were seized by Lithuanian border guards, according to the Lithuanian State Border Guard Service.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A multi-stage operation was launched on the morning of July 22 following a tipoff that a shipment of Belarusian-smuggled cigarettes would be discarded from a freight train from Russia\u2019s Kaliningrad exclave province to be collected and loaded into vehicles.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>First, a Mercedes minibus driven by a 38-year-old man was stopped on the highway leading from Vilnius to Klaipeda and 45,000 packs of NZ Gold cigarettes bearing Belarusian excise duty stamps.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Later, a Peugeot car was stopped on the same highway with a 40-year-old man behind the wheel accompanied by a 43-year-old passenger. A search of the car revealed 11,000 packs of NZ Gold cigarettes made in Belarus.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Finally, two more men, 60 and 46 years of age, were arrested on suspicion of involvement in the smuggling operation.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If found guilty, the five men may be sentenced to up to eight years in prison.&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>July 24, Pozirk.&nbsp;Five residents of Vilnius are expected to stand trial on smuggling charges after Belarusian-made cigarettes to a total value of \u20ac282,000 were seized by Lithuanian border guards, according to the Lithuanian State Border Guard Service.&nbsp; A multi-stage operation was launched on the morning of July 22 following a tipoff that a shipment of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":73,"featured_media":197177,"template":"","rubric":[30],"class_list":["post-197182","articles","type-articles","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","rubric-security"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- 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