Border guards seize over €16,500 worth of smuggled cigarettes in Šalčininkai district

Lithuanian border guards have confiscated a shipment of smuggled cigarettes worth more than €16,500 near the Belarusian border, the State Border Guard Service (VSAT) reported on Monday.

According to the agency, officers from the Vilnius Border Guard Unit’s Padvarionys checkpoint detected movement near the security fence close to Juškių village in Šalčininkai district on Sunday. Using technical surveillance, they observed bundles being thrown over the fence from Belarusian territory.

Around 30 metres from the state border, guards discovered 25 black plastic-wrapped packages in a wooded area. After expanding the search zone, five additional bundles were found, bringing the total to 30. The packages contained 3,000 cartons of NZ Gold cigarettes with Belarusian tax stamps, valued at €16,530 including duties.

A pre-trial investigation into the illegal handling of excise goods has been launched by the Vilnius Border Guard Unit, overseen by prosecutors from the Vilnius Regional Prosecutor’s Office. Under Lithuanian law, such offences carry penalties of up to four years in prison.

The confiscated cigarettes are being held temporarily at a Vilnius Border Guard Unit facility.