Police dismantle major cigarette smuggling operation in Šalčininkai district

Lithuanian police have disrupted a large-scale cigarette smuggling ring in the Šalčininkai district, seizing 12,000 cartons of contraband cigarettes with an estimated tax-evaded value of €65,000, LRT reports.

Officers from Vilnius County’s Chief Police Commissariat, working with local police and public order units, uncovered the operation near Naujasodis village in Jašiūnų eldership. Authorities observed two suspicious vehicles prepared for illegal transport, alongside 24 boxes of Belarusian-branded contraband cigarettes. Evidence suggested the cigarettes had been smuggled into Lithuania via balloons—a method increasingly used by criminal groups to bypass border controls.

Two suspects were detained during immediate search operations in the forest area, while a third surrendered to Šalčininkai police after realising his identity and involvement were known to investigators. Searches of vehicles, residences, and auxiliary premises yielded the full cigarette haul, as well as a cache of technical equipment used to coordinate the operation and evade law enforcement. Confiscated items included GPS devices, signal jammers, night-vision equipment, computers, mobile phones, and cash.

A pre-trial investigation has been launched for smuggling and illegal handling of excise goods. The three suspects face potential prison sentences of up to eight years. All have been remanded in custody for three months pending further inquiry.

The Vilnius Regional Prosecutor’s Office is overseeing the case, with ongoing efforts to identify and apprehend additional participants in the smuggling network. Police urge the public to report suspected smuggling via the hotline +370 700 60777 (operational Monday–Friday, 7:00–20:00).