Last Friday, border guards in the Augšdaugava region near the border with Belarus discovered a weather balloon carrying smuggled cigarettes, reports the State Border Guard (SBG), according to LETA.
While checking information received from a local resident, border guards, together with State Police officers in the municipality of Daugavpils, discovered a package wrapped in white polyethylene film, attached to a weather balloon. Upon inspecting the package, it was found to contain 28,760 "Queen Super Slims" cigarettes with Belarusian excise stamps.
The State Police have initiated a criminal case.
Last Saturday, Lithuania also reported 25 meteorological probes that violated its airspace from Belarus, which are commonly used by smugglers. Due to a balloon spotted near Vilnius Airport, airport operations were temporarily suspended.
It was previously reported that smugglers had used a similar method to transport cigarettes. For example, in May, border guards in the Ludza region recorded a weather balloon carrying smuggled cigarettes.
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