{"id":202868,"date":"2026-09-08T18:01:21","date_gmt":"2026-09-08T15:01:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/202868\/"},"modified":"2026-09-08T18:01:23","modified_gmt":"2026-09-08T15:01:23","slug":"lithuania-arrests-three-border-guards-four-others-in-belarus-linked-smuggling-case","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/202868\/","title":{"rendered":"Lithuania arrests three border guards, four others in Belarus-linked smuggling case"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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September 8, Pozirk.<\/em> <\/strong>Lithuanian law enforcement authorities have arrested seven people, including three State Border Guard Service officers, in an ongoing investigation into the smuggling of Belarusian cigarettes, the agency reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The operation took place overnight on September 7, following the seizure of a shipment containing 22 boxes of Belarusian-made cigarettes in Lazdijai district. The illegal cargo was reportedly delivered by drones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Border guards arrested two people who turned up to pick up the contraband goods, while other law enforcement agencies arrested two junior officers from the Kap\u010diamiestis border post.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two more suspects were arrested in Valkininkai, followed by the arrest of the chief investigator of the Var\u0117na border unit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since the start of 2026, four Lithuanian border guards have been charged with corruption offenses, following two similar cases in 2025 and five in 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

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

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

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