Two former Šakia police officers convicted for tampering with confiscated moonshine mash

A Lithuanian appeals court has upheld the convictions of two former Šakia police officers who poured hot sugared water into confiscated moonshine mash in an attempt to artificially increase its alcohol content and incriminate a woman, LRT reports.

The officers, identified as Česlovas Besarabovas, former head of the Šakia Police Commissariat’s Operations Division, and Ovidijus Banišauskas, a former investigator at the same unit, had appealed their 2025 convictions for abuse of power and evidence tampering. The Lithuanian Court of Appeal ruled on Thursday that their actions had “undermined the reputation and function of the police” and posed a sufficient public danger to reject their request for probation.

Besarabovas was fined €13,750, while Banišauskas received an €8,250 penalty. The appeals court corrected a lower court’s miscalculation, adjusting the fine-to-minimum-wage ratio from €55 to €50 per unit. Both officers had hoped their fines would be deferred to their wives, who had allegedly agreed to pay, allowing them to avoid immediate penalties and potential career consequences.

According to case documents, the officers conspired on January 31, 2024, to alter samples of moonshine mash seized the previous day from a woman’s property. Besarabovas instructed Banišauskas to add hot water with dissolved sugar to the samples to accelerate fermentation and falsely elevate the alcohol concentration. The tampered samples were then sealed and submitted for expert analysis, which incorrectly concluded the mash contained 10.8–12.1% alcohol by volume—enough to produce over 50 litres of strong homemade liquor, potentially subjecting the woman to criminal charges for illegal distillation.

A fellow investigator, identified only as S. B., testified that she witnessed Banišauskas mixing sugar with boiling water in a metal container before pouring it into the mash samples. She recalled asking, “What are you concocting here? It’s going to explode!” and later found a partially used sugar packet in the office. The witness stated she understood the act was premeditated, as the officers “worked very quickly” and Besarabovas rushed her to complete paperwork for the lab tests.

Investigators also noted that Besarabovas had posted in a restricted Facebook group for Marijampolė County police officers, boasting about finding the mash and intending to “pull the [Baudžiamojo] kodekso” (Criminal Code) on the suspect. Colleagues reportedly challenged his push for criminal rather than administrative penalties, sparking an internal dispute.