{"id":208654,"date":"2026-10-23T12:59:19","date_gmt":"2026-10-23T09:59:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/208654\/"},"modified":"2026-10-23T12:59:21","modified_gmt":"2026-10-23T09:59:21","slug":"poland-seizes-21000-packs-of-cigarettes-smuggled-using-balloons","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/208654\/","title":{"rendered":"Poland seizes 21,000 packs of cigarettes smuggled using balloons"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

October 23, Pozirk.<\/em> <\/strong>Poland\u2019s Nadbu\u017canski Border Control Unit reported on October 22 that three shipments of cigarettes smuggled into the country with the help of weather balloons were discovered in the Lublin and Siedlce districts at the end of last week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The cigarettes, 21,000 packs in total lacking Polish excise stamps, were valued at more than 433,000 zlotys ($111,300).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On October 15, border guards and police officers in Lublin district reportedly found eight parcels wrapped in black stretch film, alongside remnants of weather balloons. In all, 12,000 packs of cigarettes worth more than 247,000 zlotys ($63,500) were seized.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On October 16, two parcels attached to gas filled weather balloons were found in the Lublin district. They contained 3,000 packs of cigarettes valued at nearly 62,000 zlotys ($16,000). Firefighters were called to the scene, but they detected no radiological hazard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Later that day, 6,000 packs of cigarettes worth more than 123,000 zlotys ($31,600) were found in the Siedlce district.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On October 21, Poloand\u2019s Podlasie Border Control Unit reported arresting five people, including one national of Belarus, in recent days on suspicion of smuggling cigarettes from Belarus using weather balloons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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