Фото: VSAT
Lithuanian border guards again intercepted cigarette smuggling from Belarus over the weekend. Weather balloons were discovered, and a drone was forced to land.
According to the State Border Guard Service, on Saturday evening a drone that entered from Belarus was detected in the Šalčininkai district using a surveillance system. Border guards used countermeasures and landed the UAV in a field. A homemade quadcopter was found carrying 1,000 packs of NZ Gold cigarettes with Belarusian excise stamps.
Also on Saturday and Sunday, five consignments of cigarettes delivered by balloons were intercepted. Three balloons were found in the Varėna district, and one each in Druskininkai and the Alytus district. Nearly 20,000 packs of contraband cigarettes were seized.
This year, Lithuanian border guards have already detected 16 consignments of cigarettes delivered by weather balloons. Last year, there were 635 such cases.