Two cases of cigarette smuggling via weather balloons handed to court

Lithuania’s Kaunas Regional Prosecutor’s Office has transferred two criminal cases involving cigarette smuggling via meteorological balloons to the Alytus District Court’s Druskininkai division, the Prosecutor General’s Office announced on Friday.

In the first case, three men—identified as M. M., A. N., and S. R.—are accused of smuggling and illegal possession of excise goods as part of an organized group. Working with individuals in Belarus, they allegedly acquired cigarettes marked with Belarusian excise stamps, evading customs controls and failing to declare any import documents. The cigarettes were transported into Lithuania using balloons equipped with GPS and mobile communication devices.

According to the investigation, M. M. acquired 8,000 packs of cigarettes worth over €36,000, including taxes, while A. N. obtained 4,500 packs worth more than €20,000, and S. R. acquired 7,000 packs worth nearly €32,000. The smuggled goods were intercepted by border guards before entering circulation.

In the second case, J. P. and associates organized the smuggling of at least 18,000 packs of cigarettes, valued at over €80,000, across the state border using similar methods. A. N. and G. N. are also implicated in this case, accused of participating in a smuggling operation in April 2025 involving cigarettes worth over €14,000, transported by balloon. A. N. additionally faces charges of illegal possession of ammunition after unlicensed cartridges were found at his residence during a search.

The pre-trial investigations were led by the Kaunas Regional Prosecutor’s Office, with support from the State Border Guard Service’s Varėna Border Guard Unit. Under Lithuania’s Criminal Code, illegal possession of excise goods or smuggling can result in fines or up to eight years in prison. Illegal possession of firearms, ammunition, or explosives carries penalties ranging from fines to up to five years in prison.