{"id":158924,"date":"2025-10-07T13:46:50","date_gmt":"2025-10-07T10:46:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/158924\/"},"modified":"2026-03-09T20:10:49","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T20:10:49","slug":"flooded-by-cigarettes-from-belarus-lithuania-considers-stricter-crackdown-on-illegal-storage","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/158924\/","title":{"rendered":"Flooded by cigarettes from Belarus, Lithuania considers stricter crackdown on illegal storage"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"block-image block-image-normal\">\n\n  <img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1128\" height=\"752\" src=\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/meteozond_VSAT_1128_20240529_.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/meteozond_VSAT_1128_20240529_.jpg 1128w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/meteozond_VSAT_1128_20240529_-354x236.jpg 354w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/meteozond_VSAT_1128_20240529_-734x490.jpg 734w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/meteozond_VSAT_1128_20240529_-178x118.jpg 178w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/meteozond_VSAT_1128_20240529_-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1128px) 100vw, 1128px\" \/>\n  <figcaption>\n  \n       <div class=\"block-image__author\">\n                <span>(VSAT)<\/span>\n    <\/div>\n     <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>October 7, <em>Pozirk<\/em><\/strong>. Lithuanian officials are considering a reduction in the amount of cigarettes that can be legally possessed before it becomes subject to criminal prosecution for illegal storage. This move comes amid frequent airspace violations involving cigarette-smuggling balloons from Belarus, <em>Delfi <\/em>reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Under current legislation, possession of 1,500 or more packs of black-market cigarettes constitutes a crime. However, smugglers and sellers often store slightly fewer packs to avoid triggering criminal charges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since the start of 2025, police have made 96 arrests related to attempts to collect cigarettes smuggled from Belarus by air, but only 34 individuals have been formally charged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Lithuania&#8217;s Interior Minister Vladislav Kondratovi\u010d and Rustamas Liubajevas, of the Lithuanian State Border Guard Service, have expressed support for the proposed crackdown on cigarette storage. They emphasize that it will assist law enforcement in dismantling smuggling networks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Lithuania is currently investigating 20 separate cases of cigarette smuggling from Belarus via weather balloons. These cases are being consolidated into a major investigation, expected to result in charges of organized crime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to Liubajevas, approximately 80 percent of black-market cigarettes entering Lithuania come via balloons. This year alone, authorities have intercepted more than 500 such air shipments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Over the weekend, 25 cigarette-smuggling weather balloons were flown into Lithuania from Belarus, causing significant disruptions at Vilnius Airport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"insert-block\">\n\n    <div class=\"insert-block__img\">\n        <img decoding=\"async\" width=\"354\" height=\"236\" src=\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/aerostat_lrt_vsat_1128x752-354x236.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/aerostat_lrt_vsat_1128x752-354x236.jpg 354w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/aerostat_lrt_vsat_1128x752-734x490.jpg 734w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/aerostat_lrt_vsat_1128x752-178x118.jpg 178w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/aerostat_lrt_vsat_1128x752-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/aerostat_lrt_vsat_1128x752.jpg 1128w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 354px) 100vw, 354px\" \/>                        <label class=\"insert-block__tag--mobile\"> Society<\/label>\n\n                <\/div>\n    <div class=\"insert-block__text\">\n                    <label class=\"insert-block__tag\">Society<\/label>\n                <h3 class=\"insert-block__title\">Lithuania seizes ten out of 25 cigarette-smuggling balloons<\/h3>\n        <div class=\"insert-block__descr\">October 6, Pozirk. Lithuanian authorities have found ten of the 25 weather balloons that flew in from Belarus over the weekend, BNS reports, citing Vilmantas Vitkauskas, head of the National Crisis Management Center. Law enforcers arrested individuals who were allegedly &#8230;<\/div>\n        <a class=\"insert-block__btn-block\" href=\"\/en\/news\/158683\">\n            <button class=\"btn\">\n                <div class='btn__text'>Read<\/div>\n            <\/button>\n        <\/a>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>October 7, Pozirk. Lithuanian officials are considering a reduction in the amount of cigarettes that can be legally possessed before it becomes subject to criminal prosecution for illegal storage. This move comes amid frequent airspace violations involving cigarette-smuggling balloons from Belarus, Delfi reported. Under current legislation, possession of 1,500 or more packs of black-market cigarettes [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":83,"featured_media":87805,"template":"","rubric":[21,30],"class_list":["post-158924","articles","type-articles","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","rubric-economy","rubric-security"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Flooded by cigarettes from Belarus, Lithuania considers stricter crackdown on illegal storage | Pozirk<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"October 7, Pozirk. 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