Factory producing counterfeit cigarettes, primarily Belarusian brands, detected in Latvia

The counterfeit cigarette story in the Baltics has revealed its new facets: Latvian police have stopped a clandestine manufacture in the Latgale region.

Apparently, this wasn't a small production but a real factory: 300 million cigarettes were found in warehouses. Remarkably, the counterfeited cigarettes were primarily Belarusian brands "Minsk" and "Premier."

Indeed, this is a sui generis mark of quality; however, it forces a new perspective on the problem as a whole. Everyone remembers how Lithuania accused Belarus of involvement in smuggling: later, the chief customs officer in Vilnius stated that half of the counterfeit cigarettes came from Latvia. Now, it suddenly turns out that a full-flowing stream of counterfeit cigarettes flows from Latvia to Lithuania and then spreads throughout Europe, with no any connection to Belarus.