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Tag: Lithuania

  • Lithuania Prosecuting Belarusian Cigarette Smugglers

    Lithuania Prosecuting Belarusian Cigarette Smugglers

    Lithuania has opened more than 30 pretrial investigations into cigarette smuggling from Belarus using balloons, with around 90 suspects identified, according to Prosecutor General Nida Grunskienė. Speaking to Žinių Radijas, she said 20 related cases have already been concluded in court, resulting in over 30 convictions. Authorities intercepted 635 balloon-borne shipments in 2025, up from 226 in 2024 and virtually none in prior years, with 83 incidents recorded so far in 2026.

    The activity has also disrupted civil aviation, with more than 300 flights affected at Vilnius Airport last year, impacting roughly 47,000 passengers and causing nearly 60 hours of closures. The State Border Guard Service of Lithuania said 35 people linked to the smuggling network have been detained this year. Lithuanian officials describe the operations, alongside the detention of Lithuanian trucks in Belarus, as “hybrid attacks” by the Belarusian government.

  • PMI Donates Drones to Help Lithuania Fight Smuggling

    PMI Donates Drones to Help Lithuania Fight Smuggling

    Philip Morris International donated seven drone systems to Lithuania to support efforts to combat cigarette smuggling, particularly illicit shipments transported by balloons from neighboring Belarus. The drones, equipped with high-resolution cameras and thermal imaging, will be operated by the Lithuanian Riflemen’s Union to monitor landing sites and track individuals collecting contraband, enhancing surveillance capabilities rather than direct interception. The move comes as Lithuanian authorities intensify enforcement against a persistent illicit tobacco trade that also involves road transport, with officials noting the challenge remains ongoing despite seizures and arrests.

  • Smuggling Convictions Upheld by Lithuanian Court

    Smuggling Convictions Upheld by Lithuanian Court

    The Lithuanian Court of Appeal upheld convictions against two former Lithuanian customs officers and two Belarusian nationals for smuggling more than 3 million packs of Belarusian cigarettes into the country, confirming the lower court’s ruling and rejecting appeals. The case, investigated by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, found the defendants operated as part of an organized criminal group that bypassed customs inspections using insider assistance, causing an estimated €10 million in damages. The court also upheld a civil claim requiring the defendants to repay more than €9.7 million, although total fines were reduced from €300,000 to about €266,000 following criminal code amendments. The defendants have three months to appeal to Lithuania’s Supreme Court before the ruling becomes final.

  • Lithuania Destroys Record Amount of Illicit Tobacco

    Lithuania Destroys Record Amount of Illicit Tobacco

    Lithuania’s Customs Department said it destroyed a record volume of seized goods in 2025, including large quantities of illicit tobacco and alcohol as well as narcotic and psychotropic substances. Customs officials destroyed more than 150 million cigarettes, nearly 40,000 kg of tobacco, and about 1,600 liters of alcoholic beverages, along with 755 kg of narcotic and psychotropic substances, including 498 kg of heroin, underscoring an intensified crackdown on threats to public health and market integrity.

    In addition to drugs and excisable goods, customs authorities destroyed nearly 113,000 items infringing intellectual property rights, such as counterfeit clothing and footwear. Officials said the scale of the destruction reflects sustained enforcement efforts aimed at reducing health and safety risks while protecting fair competition. Separately, Lithuanian Customs sold non-EU goods that had not been cleared for free circulation, raising a total of €973,000 through 33 tenders and 132 electronic auctions, with proceeds split between auctions, tenders, and smaller trust transfers.

  • Cigarette-Smuggling Balloons Shut Down Lithuanian Airport

    Cigarette-Smuggling Balloons Shut Down Lithuanian Airport

    Balloons carrying thousands of packs of illicit cigarettes shut down the Vilnius Airport in Lithuania when they floated into the country’s airspace.

    According to the National Crisis Management Centre (NCMC), 25 meteorological balloons were detected entering the country from Belarus, and two ended up directly over the airport.

    The “airspace violations” follow a number of drone incursions suspected of being linked to Russia disrupting air traffic, according to the BBC. Russia has denied any involvement.

    “Balloons with contraband cargo—cigarettes from Belarus—are nothing new in Lithuania, Latvia, and Poland,” said a NCMC spokesperson. This year, 544 balloons have been recorded entering Lithuania from Belarus, according to the spokesperson. Last year, 966 balloons were recorded.

    “Meteorological balloons are a rudimentary tool used by smugglers—they are cheaper than drones for transporting cigarettes from Belarus,” the spokesperson said. “Our services’ aim is to seize the largest possible quantities of contraband and to detain organizers and perpetrators so that this activity is unprofitable and does not pose a risk to civil aviation.”

  • Lithuanian Customs: Huge Increase in Counterfeit Cigarettes from Latvia

    Lithuanian Customs: Huge Increase in Counterfeit Cigarettes from Latvia

    Lithuania’s State Border Guard Service says it has already intercepted half a million packs of illegal cigarettes coming into the country from Latvia, after only confiscating 111,000 illegal packs last year. Lithuanian customs officials say there has been a huge increase in the production of counterfeit cigarettes in Latvia, which are ending up on the Western European market.  

    “Illegal cigarette production in Latvia was particularly active last year, and the scale is really impressive as 30 truckloads were intercepted at the end of last year,” said Darius Zvironas, director general of the Lithuanian Customs Department. “Not the total amount produced, but the amount waiting to be shipped out. These are huge figures.

    “The flow of such cigarettes from Latvia goes through Lithuania, mainly towards Western Europe, and some of them end up in Lithuania.”

    Earlier this week, a shipment of smuggled cigarettes from Latvia worth €620,000 was intercepted in the Raseiniai District.

  • Lithuania Takes Aim at Cigarette Balloons

    Lithuania Takes Aim at Cigarette Balloons

    Photo: andrei310

    Lithuania may permit its border guards to shoot down balloons carrying contraband from Belarus or Russia when they cross the border, reports The Baltic Times.

    “In my opinion, border guards should have the right to shoot them down in the air,” Defense Minister Laurynas Kasciunas told reporters on Sept. 30.

    The minister’s comments came after a balloon, suspected to have come from Belarus and carrying smuggled cigarettes, fell within Vilnius Airport’s airfield on Sept. 28.

    Rustamas Liubajevas, the commander of the Lithuanian State Border Guard Service (SBGS), said that border guards have neither the necessary weapons nor the legal authority to shoot down objects that illegally cross the Lithuanian border by air.

    He explained that border guards use assault rifles, which do not have the technical capability to shoot down higher-flying objects.

    The SBGS has recorded around 250 incidents involving such balloons in the past month.

    Poland too has recorded increased attempts to smuggle cigarettes into its territory by air.

  • Lithuania Urged to Reconsider Flavor Ban

    Photo: rh2010

    The Independent European Vape Alliance (IEVA) has called on Lithuania to reconsider a proposed ban on key e-liquid ingredients, including sweeteners.

    The country’s Draft Law No XIVP-2791(2) amending Article 9(2) of Law No I-1143 on the control of tobacco, tobacco products and related products proposes a “ban on placing on the market e-cigarettes and e-cigarette fillers with liquid adapted for filling electronic cigarettes if this liquid contains sugar and/or sweeteners.”

    In comments submitted under the EU Technical Regulations Information System, IEVA warns that the measure will encourage the illicit trade, boost smoking rates, jeopardize employment and lower government revenues due to reduced vape tax collections.

    According to the alliance,  the draft law shows a lack of understanding of the technical and chemical characteristics of e-cigarettes, as well as a disregard for the negative consequences for Lithuania’s public health and for the country’s vaping small and medium-sized enterprises.

    “Banning sugar and sweetener chemicals, which are necessary for the manufacturing of e-liquids, will lead to a quasi-ban of e-cigarettes,” the IEVA wrote in a statement. “It will lead to a boom in black market sales of dangerous products and to a surge of tobacco smoking by depriving smokers of a less harmful alternative. Finally, this measure, not justified by any scientific evidence, is bound to be ineffective in addressing its purported goal of limiting young people’s access to vaping.”

    The group encourages the Lithuanian government to adopt measures adapted to the pursued aim and based on thorough scientific evidence.

  • Philip Morris Expands Operations in Lithuania

    Philip Morris Expands Operations in Lithuania

    Photo: krivinis

    Philip Morris International is expanding the production capacity of its factory in Klaipeda, Lithuania, following the suspension of its operations in Ukraine, reports Interfax, citing a company statement.

    The multinational will reportedly construct a new production building connected to its existing storage facilities.

    The Klaipeda factory will manufacture products intended for Ukraine, the company said. The project will cost €3.5 million and is expected to be completed toward the end of 2023.

    On Feb. 25, PMI announced the suspension of its activities in Ukraine, including at its factory in Kharkov, due to Russia’s military invasion.

    Ukraine accounted for around 2 percent of the multinational’s cigarette and heated-tobacco shipments in 2021 and less than 2 percent of PMI’s total revenue, according to the company.

  • Lithuania Bans Flavored E-Cigarettes

    Lithuania Bans Flavored E-Cigarettes

    Photo: MNStudio

    Lithuania will ban the sale of flavored e-cigarettes and e-liquid cartridges starting in July, reports LRT. Tobacco flavors will remain legal.

    The move is aimed at reducing sales of e-cigarettes that are growing increasingly popular in Lithuania.

    On Jan. 18, Lithuanian lawmakers adopted amendments to the Law on Control of Tobacco, Tobacco Products and Related Products with 92 votes in favor, nine against and nine abstentions.

    Lithuania already bans e-cigarettes and e-liquid cartridges containing vitamins and other additives that create an impression that they are good or do less damage to health.

    The country also prohibits imports of e-cigarettes and e-liquid cartridges containing caffeine and other stimulating compounds linked to energy and vitality.