Belarus charges Austrian man in cocaine smuggling case

September 7, Pozirk. Belarusian authorities have opened a criminal case against a 35-year-old Austrian man accused of attempting to smuggle cocaine into Belarus while travelling by bus from Lithuania, the State Customs Committee reports.

The incident took place at the Kamienny Łoh-Medininkai border crossing. The suspect did not declare any prohibited goods, yet a service dog alerted officials, who found “two plastic packets containing a compressed white substance” concealed in a package of candy. The substance was later confirmed to be cocaine.

The man was charged with the illegal trafficking and cross-border transportation of drugs and may face up to 10 years in prison if convicted.

Belarus has some of the strictest drug laws in Europe and enforces them rigorously. Foreign nationals have been arrested and prosecuted for possessing even small quantities of controlled substances, including medications or drugs that may be legal, decriminalized, or subject to lighter penalties in other European countries.

As a result, travelers should not assume that laws or enforcement practices elsewhere in Europe apply in Belarus and should carefully verify the legal status of any medication or substance before entering the country.