{"id":208221,"date":"2026-10-20T17:21:06","date_gmt":"2026-10-20T14:21:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/208221\/"},"modified":"2026-10-20T17:21:08","modified_gmt":"2026-10-20T14:21:08","slug":"latvia-seizes-e250000-worth-of-contraband-belarusian-cigarettes","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/208221\/","title":{"rendered":"Latvia seizes \u20ac250,000 worth of contraband Belarusian cigarettes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

October 20, Pozirk.<\/em> <\/strong>Latvian customs officers found 852,800 cigarettes with Belarusian excise stamps worth an estimated \u20ac250,000 concealed in a shipment of fresh carrots transported across the Latvian-Russian border, the Latvian customs authorities said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The incident occurred on October 10, when a truck carrying carrots arrived from Russia. During the inspection, customs officers discovered double compartments at the bottom of the cardboard boxes, containing 42,640 packs of Queen Menthol, Queen Superslims and NZ Black cigarettes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the same day, the tax and customs police filed criminal charges of large-scale smuggling, arresting one suspect who was placed in custody. The investigation is still ongoing.<\/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 the European Union, where prices start at around \u20ac5. Smuggled NZ-brand cigarettes can be purchased in the EU for about \u20ac2 per pack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n
\n \"\"