{"id":209167,"date":"2026-10-27T15:13:08","date_gmt":"2026-10-27T12:13:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/209167\/"},"modified":"2026-10-27T15:14:23","modified_gmt":"2026-10-27T12:14:23","slug":"lithuania-seizes-contraband-belarusian-cigarettes-worth-e66000","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/209167\/","title":{"rendered":"Lithuania seizes contraband Belarusian cigarettes worth \u20ac66,000"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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October 27, Pozirk.<\/em> <\/strong>Lithuanian authorities seized 12,000 packs of NZ Gold cigarettes with Belarusian excise stamps transported from Belarus by balloons, the Lithuanian State Border Guard Service reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three days ago, border guards spotted interconnected balloons carrying bundles near the village of Gerda\u0161iai in Druskininkai municipality. While searching for the landed balloons, officers stopped a car with German license plates. The driver, a 35-year-old Lithuanian, and two other Lithuanian men were reportedly on their way to collect the cargo. Officers found a navigation app with pre-entered coordinates in the vehicle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a marshy area, border guards found several bundles containing 6,000 packs of cigarettes, along with balloon remnants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Sunday, border guards and a service dog discovered another shipment of 6,000 packs of NZ Gold cigarettes 22 kilometers from the first site. GPS transmitters attached to the bundles allowed smugglers to track the cargo.<\/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 incursions of smugglers\u2019 balloons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vilnius declared an \u201cextreme situation,\u201d a low-level emergency, in December 2025 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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