Vilnius operation nets three men and 36,000 smuggled cigarette packs

Lithuanian border guards detained three men and seized about 36,000 packs of cigarettes bearing Belarusian tax stamps in a Vilnius operation targeting suspected balloon-based smuggling, LRT reported.

The State Border Guard Service said officers had watched two cars, a Mercedes-Benz and a BMW X5, enter a garage complex in Pašilaičiai, a Vilnius neighbourhood, on Monday morning. When the cars later left, officers attempted to stop them.

The BMW driver rammed a border guard vehicle, damaging it, and tried to flee. An officer used a weapon with a gas charge to stop the SUV, but the driver continued until officers caught him in the courtyard of an apartment building, the service said. The driver, a 25-year-old Vilnius resident, was detained.

Officers also detained the Mercedes driver, a 38-year-old resident of Šalčininkai district. A search of several garages uncovered about 36,000 cigarette packs. The exact number and brands are being established.

Border guards also found remains of a balloon, which they said suggested the cigarettes had been flown in from Belarus. During further investigative actions, they detained a 34-year-old man from Šalčininkai district in a Volkswagen Passat in a Pašilaičiai courtyard. He is suspected of involvement in transporting the excise goods.

All three men are being held in custody while authorities consider what preventive measures to impose. The Pagėgiai Border Guard Unit has opened a pre-trial investigation into the unlawful possession of excise goods, under the supervision of a prosecutor from the Vilnius Regional Prosecutor’s Office. The offence carries a fine or a prison sentence of up to eight years.