In the Vilnius district, border guards detained a shipment of contraband cigarettes worth over 190,000 euros and eight individuals involved, including three citizens of Belarus and a Lithuanian border guard, the State Border Guard Service of Lithuania (SBGS) reported on Friday.
They were detained during an operation carried out late Thursday evening by the State Border Guard Service (SBGS) with the participation of colleagues from the Special Operations Unit Kovas and other SBGS divisions.
According to reports, on the Vilnius-Utena highway, near the village of Vainiškės in the Vilnius district, border guards stopped a Mercedes Benz Sprinter cargo van. The vehicle, with Lithuanian license plates, was driven by a 48-year-old resident of the Šalčininkai district. Inside, SBGS officers discovered 71 boxes (35,500 packs) of contraband cigarettes bearing Belarusian excise stamps. The value of this illegal tobacco cargo, including taxes payable in Lithuania, amounts to nearly 191,000 euros.
At the same time, border guards stopped a Volkswagen Passat that was traveling about three kilometers ahead of the van. This vehicle, registered in Lithuania, was driven by a 51-year-old citizen of Belarus who has a residence permit in Lithuania. He was accompanied by two legally residing Belarusian citizens, aged 25 and 28.
Suspecting their involvement in this crime, border guards soon detained 20-, 34-, and 38-year-old residents of the Švenčionys district in different locations, as well as a supposedly negligent colleague on duty - a 29-year-old junior officer from the Adutiškės border post.
During the continuation of procedural actions, searches of the suspects revealed and seized an additional 21,000 packs of cigarettes with Belarusian excise stamps, as well as various sums of money and other items significant for the pre-trial investigation.
According to the pre-trial investigation, the illegal cigarettes may have been delivered to Lithuania from Belarus using smuggling drones. Due to the illegal circulation of excise goods and abuse of office, the SBGS has initiated a pre-trial investigation.
The most severe punishment provided by law for these crimes is six years of imprisonment. After interrogations, the detainees were assigned preventive measures ranging from a written undertaking not to leave to arrest. Additionally, the officer from the Adutiškės post has been suspended from duty, and a service investigation has been initiated against him.
