{"id":168491,"date":"2025-12-16T21:45:26","date_gmt":"2025-12-16T18:45:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/168491\/"},"modified":"2026-03-09T20:10:49","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T20:10:49","slug":"lithuanian-police-arrest-21-suspects-in-crackdown-on-cigarette-smugglers","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/168491\/","title":{"rendered":"Lithuanian police arrest 21 suspects in crackdown on cigarette smugglers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

December 16, Pozirk.<\/em> <\/strong>Lithuania\u2019s police arrested 21 suspectsin a large-scale crackdown on smugglers using weather balloons to send cigarettes from Belarus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Police seized cigarettes with Belarusian excise duty stamps, SIM-cards, GPS jamming devices, guns and vehicles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Balloons have been a source of tension between Lithuania and Belarus, prompting Vilnius to close the border from October 29 to November 20 and suspend operations at Vilnius International Airport on several occasions. Last week, Vilnius declared an \u201cextreme situation,\u201d a low-level emergency, in response to what it called \u201ca hybrid attack from Belarus.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cigarettes cost an equivalent of around \u20ac1 at stores in Belarus, and are significantly cheaper than legally sold cigarettes in Latvia and Lithuania, where prices start at around \u20ac5. Smuggled NZ cigarettes can be bought at \u20ac2 per pack in Vilnius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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