{"id":208000,"date":"2026-10-19T12:25:44","date_gmt":"2026-10-19T09:25:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/208000\/"},"modified":"2026-10-19T12:25:47","modified_gmt":"2026-10-19T09:25:47","slug":"poland-intercepts-cigarette-shipment-tied-to-balloons-supposedly-from-belarus","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/208000\/","title":{"rendered":"Poland intercepts cigarette shipment tied to balloons, supposedly from Belarus\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

October 19, Pozirk.<\/em> <\/strong>Poland has intercepted a shipment of illicit cigarettes smuggled into its territory, presumably from Belarus, using three weather balloons tied together, the Polish Border Guard reported on Monday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The shipment, seized by officers of the Nadbu\u017canski Border Control Unit, consisted of 15,000 packs of cigarettes lacking Polish excise stamps and valued at more than 300,000 zlotys ($82,000), the agency said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An inquiry is under way under the supervision of the Prosecutor\u2019s Office in Bia\u0142a Podlaska, with investigators believing that the contraband came from Belarus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On October 9, the Polish Border Guard reported arresting six people, including two Belarusians, suspected of involvement in smuggling cigarettes from Belarus with the help of weather balloons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The detainees will remain in custody for three months. They have been charged under Poland\u2019s Fiscal Penal Code and also a law against support for Russia\u2019s aggression against Ukraine and each face at least three years in prison.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since the start of 2026, Polish border guards have seized more than 7.8 million zlotys ($2 million) worth of smuggled cigarettes, arresting 46 people, the agency reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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