Court receives case over cigarettes smuggled from Belarus by weather balloons

A Lithuanian court has begun hearing a criminal case involving two men accused of smuggling thousands of packs of Belarusian cigarettes into Lithuania using weather balloons, prosecutors announced on Tuesday.

The Kaunas Regional Prosecutor’s Office has transferred the case to Alytus District Court, charging the defendants—identified only as L. K. and E. N.—with smuggling and illegal handling of excise goods as part of an organised group, the Prosecutor General’s Office said in a statement.

Between May and November 2025, the suspects allegedly worked with accomplices in Belarus and Lithuania to retrieve cigarette packs—branded Minsk 5 Super Slims, Minsk Capital QS, and NZ Gold—after they were flown across the border via balloons. Investigators estimate at least 9,000 packs, marked with Belarusian tax stamps and valued at nearly €45,000, were smuggled during this period.

Authorities believe the organised group systematically used weather balloons, GPS devices, and mobile communication tools to transport large quantities of cigarettes. The suspects allegedly took on specific roles, including retrieving and hiding the smuggled goods, as well as collecting and concealing equipment used in the operation.

Under Lithuanian criminal law, the offences carry potential penalties of up to six years in prison. The pre-trial investigation was led by the Kaunas Regional Prosecutor’s Office, with support from the State Border Guard Service’s Varėna Border Unit.

The case will be heard by the Druskininkai division of Alytus District Court.