Another Weather Balloon Carrying Cigarettes Intercepted in Lithuania

Reform.news Editorial Team · 30 October 2026, 21:45

https://reform.news/en/another-weather-balloon-carrying-cigarettes-intercepted-in-lithuania/

Lithuanian border guards have intercepted another weather balloon carrying Belarusian cigarettes and detained two people, the Lithuanian State Border Guard Service reports.

On Thursday morning, a woman called the border checkpoint in Kena and reported seeing a balloon that had landed in a field near the village of Laukuninkai. Border guards were immediately dispatched to the scene.

In the village, they spotted a Volkswagen Passat and, 200 meters away, a weather balloon. Night-vision equipment and two knives were found in the car. Border guards believe that the driver and passenger, aged 37 and 20, had arrived to collect the smuggled cargo.

Cardboard boxes bearing the logo of the Neman factory were attached to the balloon. They contained 3,000 packs of cigarettes. The shipment is valued at €15,530.

A pre-trial investigation has been launched. The suspects were questioned and released after signing written undertakings.