Border guards bring down cigarette-smuggling drone in Lithuania

Lithuanian border guards used anti-drone equipment to bring down a drone carrying 1,000 packs of cigarettes in the Dieveniškės Loop, a stretch surrounded on three sides by Belarusian territory, LRT reported.

Officers from the Gintaras Žagunis Border Guard Station heard a sound typical of a drone near Dailidžiai village in Šalčininkai district around midnight from Tuesday to Wednesday. Using night-vision equipment, they spotted an object flying away from the state border with a load attached.

After officers deployed counter-drone equipment, the aircraft changed direction and began to fall. Darkness hampered the search, but after daybreak officers found two bundles and then the damaged drone.

The bundles contained 1,000 packs of NZ Gold and Minsk Super Slims cigarettes bearing Belarusian excise stamps. The State Border Guard Service said the shipment was worth 5,520 euros, including taxes payable in Lithuania.

Administrative proceedings have been opened over the acquisition and transport of excise goods in violation of established rules. The drone and cigarettes are being held at the border guard station.

Border guards have brought down 65 cigarette-smuggling drones this year. They intercepted 59 drones that entered Lithuania from Belarus last year and 54 in 2024.