Poland detains nine over balloon-borne cigarette smuggling

Polish border guards on Friday detained nine people suspected of transporting smuggled cigarettes from Belarus to Poland by balloon, including two Lithuanian citizens, LRT reported.

More than 3,900 cartons of cigarettes were found during the operation. Their total value exceeded 621,000 Polish zlotys, or more than 143,000 euros.

The detainees also included three Polish and four Belarusian citizens. The investigation is continuing to identify other people who may have been involved in the suspected criminal activity.

Since the beginning of the year, Polish border guard units have detained 40 people suspected of smuggling cigarettes from Belarus to Poland using meteorological balloons.