{"id":207203,"date":"2026-10-13T13:20:37","date_gmt":"2026-10-13T10:20:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/207203\/"},"modified":"2026-10-13T13:20:39","modified_gmt":"2026-10-13T10:20:39","slug":"lithuania-seizes-raft-with-belarusian-contraband-cigarettes-worth-e13000","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/207203\/","title":{"rendered":"Lithuania seizes raft with Belarusian contraband cigarettes worth \u20ac13,000"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

October 13, Pozirk.<\/em> <\/strong>Lithuanian border guards intercepted a raft carrying contraband cigarettes worth \u20ac13,000 from Belarus on the Neris River in Vilnius district two days ago, the State Border Guard Service reports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The raft was shaped like a snowflake with six rays. Inside the hollows of the rays, officers found 2,400 packs of NZ Gold cigarettes with Belarusian excise stamps wrapped in plastic film.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Contraband shipments are launched from the Belarusian side on homemade rafts or other structures fitted with GPS devices, the border agency said. Such rafts are now rarely used, with smuggling by air becoming more common since last October and causing tensions between Belarus and Lithuania.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lithuanian authorities had to close the border and suspend operations at Vilnius International Airport, located close to the Belarusian border, over incursions of smugglers\u2019 balloons. In December 2025, Vilnius declared an \u201cextreme situation,\u201d a low-level emergency in response to what it called \u201ca hybrid attack from Belarus.\u201d<\/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

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