{"id":128146,"date":"2025-02-28T14:42:30","date_gmt":"2025-02-28T11:42:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/128146\/"},"modified":"2026-03-09T20:10:49","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T20:10:49","slug":"lithuania-reports-a-surge-in-cigarette-smuggling-from-belarus","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/128146\/","title":{"rendered":"Lithuania reports a surge in cigarette smuggling from Belarus"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n\n \"\"\n
\n \n
\n (Polish Border Guard)<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

February 28, Pozirk<\/em>.<\/strong> The Lithuanian State Border Guard Service has reported a surge in cigarette smuggling with more than 2 million packs of cigarettes seized since the start of 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By contrast, 1.4 million packs, including 1.2 million packs manufactured in Belarus, worth more than \u20ac6.1 million were seized in the 12 months of 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In one of the recent cases, border guards found almost 90,000 packs of Belarusian-made cigarettes worth nearly \u20ac400,000 at a Vilnius warehouse. Three suspects, including a Belarusian national, were arrested.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In two other incidents, suspected smugglers from the European Union knocked border guards down while trying to escape in vehicles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Lithuanian border guard was hospitalized after a hit-and-run accident yesterday. The officer was reportedly pursuing the car driven by two Latvians, who picked up a balloon with 1,500 packs of Belarusian cigarettes. Both suspects were arrested and face criminal charges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Polish border authorities also reported a similar incident three days ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Latvia became a major transit country for illegally imported cigarettes after the smuggling from Russia and Belarus dropped significantly in 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also read: Lithuania seizes \u20ac5.6 million worth of Belarusian cigarettes<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

February 28, Pozirk. The Lithuanian State Border Guard Service has reported a surge in cigarette smuggling with more than 2 million packs of cigarettes seized since the start of 2025. By contrast, 1.4 million packs, including 1.2 million packs manufactured in Belarus, worth more than \u20ac6.1 million were seized in the 12 months of 2024. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":83,"featured_media":128109,"template":"","rubric":[21,15],"class_list":["post-128146","articles","type-articles","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","rubric-economy","rubric-society"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nLithuania reports a surge in cigarette smuggling from Belarus | Pozirk<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"February 28, Pozirk. 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