Court confiscates 109,000 euros from Alytus resident in tobacco case

A court in Kaunas has convicted an Alytus man of illegally handling excise goods, fined him 20,000 euros and ordered 109,000 euros found during a search to be confiscated, LRT reported.

The Kaunas Regional Court found that the man, identified as J. A., illegally possessed excise goods until late February 2024. Prosecutors said he had arranged with an unidentified person to acquire 36,529 packs of Golden Virginia rolling tobacco in Latvia. The tobacco weighed 1,826 kilograms and was valued at 204,000 euros, including applicable taxes.

According to the case, J. A. acted through K. N., who was unaware of the crime and followed his instructions. In January 2024, K. N. brought the tobacco from Latvia to the premises of a company in Alytus. J. A. then transferred it to a different semi-trailer without registration plates and stored it in the company’s hangar, where police later found and seized it.

The court also granted the prosecutor’s request for extended confiscation and ordered the cash found during the search to be seized. The verdict, issued on October 23, is not final and may be appealed to the Lithuanian Court of Appeal.