Фото: VSAT
Lithuanian border guards have intercepted another shipment of cigarettes smuggled by air in weather balloons launched from Belarus.
According to Lithuania’s State Border Guard Service, criminal intelligence officers spotted weather balloons carrying contraband on Saturday. They tracked them until the balloons landed.
A search operation was launched. During the operation, border guards stopped a Subaru Legacy with German license plates for inspection. The car was driven by a 35-year-old Lithuanian citizen, accompanied by two other local residents, aged 38 and 28.
One of the men had a navigation app open on his phone, with coordinates entered. Using the app, the border guards located the landing site of the weather balloons. They seized 6,000 packs of NZ Gold cigarettes bearing Belarusian excise stamps.
Later, officers also searched a wooded area 22 km from where the first shipment had been found. A sniffer dog helped locate the cigarettes. Another 6,000 packs were seized.
An investigation has been launched. The detainees were released on Monday after questioning and placed under police supervision. Their passports were also confiscated.