{"id":211865,"date":"2026-11-14T20:45:53","date_gmt":"2026-11-14T17:45:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/211865\/"},"modified":"2026-11-14T20:45:55","modified_gmt":"2026-11-14T17:45:55","slug":"lithuania-seizes-counterfeit-belarusian-cigarettes-worth-over-e2-million","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/211865\/","title":{"rendered":"Lithuania seizes counterfeit Belarusian cigarettes worth over \u20ac2 million"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n (muitine.lrv.lt)<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

November 14, Pozirk.<\/em><\/strong> Lithuanian customs officers seized one of the largest shipments of contraband cigarettes this year, the customs department of the Lithuanian finance ministry reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The illegal cargo was discovered five days ago during a check of a DAF truck near Marijampol\u0117 in southwestern Lithuania. The driver said he was transporting industrial boilers to Germany, but the semi-trailer was fully loaded with 792 cartons of contraband tobacco products. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Customs officers found 396,000 packs of Winston Blue cigarettes worth more than \u20ac 2 million and bearing Belarusian excise stamps. However, officials suspect that the Belarusian excise stamps on the cigarette packs are counterfeit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The black market for tobacco products changed rapidly in recent years, and most cigarettes seized during pre-trial investigations had been imported from Latvia, they noted. Officials also believe that counterfeit Belarusian excise stamps also originated in Latvia. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Available data suggest that cigarettes of both world-famous tobacco brands and Belarusian companies are counterfeited in Latvia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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