A large shipment of smuggled cigarettes was detained at the Šalčininkai road border crossing, the Lithuanian Customs Criminal Service reported.
According to the agency, during an inspection of a minibus entering Lithuania from Belarus, customs officers used an X-ray system to detect specially оборудованные hiding compartments containing tobacco products. The vehicle had been modified for covert transportation: the ceiling and floor were thickened, and cigarettes were also concealed in the walls and doors. The driver admitted that he had been hiding the cargo for two days. A total of 41,900 packs of cigarettes were seized. Their value, including taxes, exceeds €217,000.
A pre-trial investigation has been launched by the Vilnius division of the Customs Criminal Service under the supervision of the Vilnius District Prosecutor’s Office.
According to LRT, the detained Ford Transit was driven by a citizen of Belarus. A preventive measure was imposed on the driver in the form of seizure of documents and an obligation not to leave the country.
