Фото: vsat.lrv.lt
Border guards in Švenčionys, Lithuania, discovered cigarettes bearing Belarusian excise stamps that had been illegally stored in a garage. The cigarettes were worth more than €33,000. Two Lithuanian citizens were detained on suspicion of illegally storing excise goods.
As the Lithuanian State Border Guard Service reports, the garage was searched late Monday evening by officers from the criminal intelligence unit of the Vilnius Border Guard Unit.
The officers found NZ Gold cigarettes bearing Belarusian excise stamps. They had been transported in an Audi A6 registered in Lithuania and driven by a 29-year-old man. He was accompanied by a Mercedes-Benz with temporary Lithuanian registration plates, driven by a 28-year-old Lithuanian citizen.
A criminal case has been opened over the illegal handling of excise goods. Both men were detained for up to 48 hours and subsequently ordered not to leave their places of residence, with their documents also confiscated.
The vehicles are being held in a secure area at the Švenčionys Border Guard Station.
Lithuanian law provides for a fine or imprisonment of up to six years for such offences.