A case has been submitted to court in Lithuania over charges against six individuals accused of smuggling cigarettes from Belarus using unmanned aerial vehicles. Among the defendants are also two officers of the country’s border service.
According to the Prosecutor General’s Office, during the night of 27 October last year, 33,000 packs of Queen Menthol cigarettes were transported from Belarus to Lithuania using drones. Their value, including taxes due, exceeds EUR 148,000. Two of the accused border officers arranged for their colleagues to be absent from the specified location at the specified time, allowing their associates to collect the contraband without interference.
Lithuanian tax authorities have also filed a civil claim against the defendants, seeking compensation for damage to the state amounting to more than EUR 93,000.