Two residents in Vilkaviškis district were arrested after border guards discovered a large shipment of cigarettes, probably discarded from a cargo train.
On Thursday, in the Vilkaviškis district, officers from the VSAT Pagėgiai Border Guard's Criminal Intelligence Division, along with their colleagues from the VSAT Special Operations Division 'Kovas', responded to intelligence regarding illegal cargo being thrown from the Kybartai–Kena freight train. Upon arriving at the scene, authorities found cardboard boxes and detained two local residents aged 34 and 45. At the railway tracks, they discovered around fifty factory-produced cardboard boxes containing excise goods - 'NZ Gold' cigarettes featuring Belarusian stamps. In the area surrounding the illegally discarded cargo, VSAT officials also located a 'Volkswagen Crafter' minibus with Lithuanian state license plates parked near a local property. This vehicle is suspected to be connected to the illegal transportation of excise goods. A total of 25,000 packs of Belarusian stamped cigarettes were uncovered, valued including taxes at approximately 300,000 euros, indicating a significant violation of laws regarding tobacco control and border security. This event underscores a growing issue of cross-border smuggling in the region, particularly concerning tobacco products. The Lithuanian authorities are increasingly engaged in efforts to combat such activities, which not only result in lost tax revenues but also present public health challenges due to the influx of unregulated tobacco products. This incident highlights the vital role of law enforcement in addressing these issues and protecting both local economies and public health.
