Lithuanian Police Detained Traders of Non-Excise Cigarettes

Lithuanian border guards detained six smugglers carrying cigarettes. They are suspected of launching and receiving balloons used to deliver cheap tobacco products across the border.

Police also seized three illegal air shipments containing approximately 14,000 cigarettes. Five vehicles used for criminal purposes were seized.

By all indications, the intensified police crackdown on smugglers has borne fruit: Lithuanian authorities are preparing to lift the state of emergency against cross-border crime related to the illegal import of cigarettes by the end of March 2026.

Previously, the head of Lithuanian police noted that more than half of Lithuania's contraband tobacco is imported from Latvia.