Six men convicted for cigarette smuggling from Belarus, one a former border guard

A Lithuanian court has convicted six men, including a former border guard, for smuggling cigarettes from Belarus in an organised operation, the Prosecutor General’s Office announced on Wednesday.

The men—residents of Vilnius, Trakai, Visaginas, and Rokiškis—were found guilty of smuggling and illegal handling of cigarettes as part of a criminal group. The Panevėžys Regional Court issued fines totalling nearly €100,000, with individual penalties ranging from €12,500 to €25,000. The former State Border Guard Service (VSAT) officer, identified as G.B., received a €14,700 fine and was dismissed from service over his involvement.

Confiscated items include wetsuits, phones, an outboard motor, and a microbus valued at over €5,000. The court’s ruling, issued on April 22, took effect on May 7.

The case stems from a May 2025 operation in which VSAT officers detained four men, aged 27–42, near Lake Prūtas on the Lithuanian-Belarus border. Two were transporting boxes of smuggled cigarettes by boat, while the others loaded them into a vehicle. Authorities seized 90,000 packs of Belarusian-branded cigarettes, worth nearly €384,000.

Investigators later arrested G.B., a junior specialist at the Puškų border checkpoint, and E.S., a 38-year-old Vilnius resident suspected of organising the smuggling ring. According to prosecutors, the group had acquired a microbus, rented a lakeside property, and obtained wetsuits and an outboard motor for the operation. G.B. allegedly provided insider information on border patrol movements.

The group communicated via encrypted messaging but was ultimately exposed. All six defendants admitted full guilt, leading prosecutors to seek a summary judgment.