Lithuanian border guards intercepted seven airborne contraband shipments on February 6 and detained two suspects. This is the highest number of intercepted contraband cases in a single day since the beginning of 2026, Delfi reported.
According to the State Border Guard Service of Lithuania, the contraband was discovered in the Varėna and Lazdijai districts, as well as in the Druskininkai municipality. As in previous cases, GPS trackers were attached to the weather balloons. A total of 12,700 packs of cigarettes were seized in one day. An investigation has been launched.
One of the shipments was found in the territory of the Čepkeliai State Nature Reserve in the Varėna district. To reach the site, border guards had to walk about three kilometers through deep snow. A total of 3,500 packs of cigarettes were transported using three weather balloons connected to each other.
According to the State Border Guard Service, since the start of 2026, 40 airborne contraband shipments have been intercepted in Lithuania, totaling 108,000 packs of cigarettes. During this period, 23 suspects have been detained.
In 2025, Lithuanian border guards detained 171 suspects, and a total of 635 weather balloons carrying contraband were intercepted. By comparison, 226 such cases were recorded in 2024, three in 2023, and no cases of airborne contraband were detected in 2022.
