Smuggling balloon carrying Belarusian cigarettes lands in Lithuanian residential yard

A balloon suspected of carrying contraband cigarettes crashed in a private yard in Žiežmariai early Thursday, with authorities recovering 1,500 packs of Belarusian-branded cigarettes, Lithuanian public broadcaster LRT reports.

Police received a call around 1 a.m. from a local resident who reported an unidentified balloon had landed near their home. Officers arriving at the scene discovered three boxes containing 1,500 packs of cigarettes bearing Belarusian tax stamps, along with GPS equipment, according to Kristina Miškauskaitė, a spokesperson for the Kaunas County Chief Police Commissariat.

Firefighters from the Kaunas Regional Fire and Rescue Service were also called to assist after the balloon became entangled in a tree approximately four metres above ground. The incident remains under investigation.